All Day Vehicular
Restrictions Begins
Thursday
Beginning at 12:01am
Thursday, the vehicular
restriction of San José
will be on a 24 hour
basis. All vehicles,
except for heavy
commerical vehicles,
with the corresponding
plate will not be
allowed to circulate
within the expanded
restricted area for the
entire day.
Beginning on Thursday
the 24 hour restriction
begins with vehicles
with license plates
ending in 7 & 8.
The restrictions will be
in force weekdays (save
holidays) and will be in
effect for 24 hours for
all plates ending in 1 &
2 on Mondays, 3 & 4 on
Tuesdays, 5 & 6 on
Wednesdays, 7 & 8 on
Thursdays and 9 & 0 on
Fridays.
The restrictions were
announced last week and
signed yesterday at Casa
Presidencial and will be
published in the
official government
publication, La Gaceta,
on time for Thursday.
According to Viviana
Martín, viceministra de
Transportes, the
government is looking
for ways to reduce fuel
consumption, thus
reducing the oil bill
the country faces in
making purchases of
petroleum.
The restrictions,
according to the
minister, is also to
reduce traffic
congestion and
contamination, as the
road infrastructure in
San José cannot cope
with the increased
number of vehicles
currently in
circulation.
"Since we began the
vehicular restrictions
at the end of June, the
savings have been 5%,
but that is not enough",
said Martín.
Exempt from the
restrictions are
motocycles and scooters,
public transport
vehicles like buses and
taxis, school buses and
vehicles used by the
handicapped.
Heavy commercial
vehicles - trucks that
have a red license plate
and begin with "C" -
continue with the
previous restrictions of
being able to circulate
San José as well as the
autopistas in Cartago,
Escazú and Alajuela,
during morning and
afternon rush hours and
pr
The expanded restricted
area and hours went into
effect on June 26, that
expanded the resctricted
area to include La Uruca,
the Circunvalación,
between the hours of 6am
and 8:30am and 4:30pm
and 7pm.
The expanded restricted
area caused much
confusion in the first
days as many drivers
were not clear on the
exact boundaries and
hours. Some believed
that the all day
restriction was already
in effect.
Traffic fines for
violating the restricted
area dropped from 1.000
on the first day to an
average of 350 per day
during the past week,
according to the traffic
police records.
The fine for violation
continues to be ¢5.000
colones.
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