Streetcar
Would
Alleviate
San
José's
Traffic
Congestion
Ever
wondered
why
there
is
so
much
traffic
congestion
in
San
José,
Costa
Rica's
capital
city?
Many
factors
contribute
to
the
congestion,
but
the
primary
reason
is
quite
simple
to
understand,
every
day
some
19.000
buses
and
260.000
other
types
of
vehicles
circulate
the
city
and
on
the
same
road
infrastructure
of
the
last
several
decades
or
more.
The
numbers
were
revealed
on
Friday
by
San
José
mayor,
Johnny
Araya,
who
has
seen
the
traffic
congestion
get
worse,
but
has
not
promoted
any
major
changes
until
now.
One
of
the
proposed
changes
is
to
bring
back
the
"tranvia"
-
the
tramway
or
streetcar.
The
city
is
undergoing
an
feasibility
study
funded
by
the
government
of
France
that
will
determine
if
it
is
possible
to
operate
an
electric
streetcar
in
the
city.
The
first
findings
will
be
released
on
March
27.
The
initial
phase
is
to
determine
the
demand
for
the
service
and
the
eventual
route
it
would
take.
The
next
phase,
according
to
Araya
is
the
analysis
stage,
where
the
cost
would
be
determined.
San
José
had
the
streetcar
up
to
August
1,
1950.
The
streetcar
operated
for
almost
50
years,
beginning
operations
on
August
18,
1901
and
was
the
primary
means
of
connecting
the
various
parts
of
the
city
and
communications
between
them.
The
service
in
the
first
half
of
the
1900's
was
not
only
concentrated
in
San
José,
the
streetcar
branched
out
to
Guadalupe
(Goicoechea)
and
San
Pedro,
Montes
de
Oca.
During
the
reconstruction
and
repaving
of
some
downtown
streets,
like
Paseo
Colon,
evidence
of
the
streetcar
remain,
as
the
tracks
continue
intact
under
the
asphalt.
The
streetcar
could
me
an
efficient
and
economical
way,
in
addition
to
greatly
reducing
congestion
in
the
city
core.
Operated
efficiently,
it
could
become
a
pride
for
the
city.
Current
day
Josefinos
(residents
of
San
José)
have
embraced
train
travel
with
the
operation
of
the
commuter
train
service
that
began
last
decade.
At
first
the
commuter
train
ran
from
downtown
to
Pavas
on
the
west
and
San
Pedro
on
the
east.
Then
Heredia
centre
was
added,
followed
by
San
Antonio
de
Belén
(also
Heredia)
and
with
plans
to
begin
operating
to
Cartago
by
the
end
of
this
year
and
maybe
Alajuela
in
the
next
couple
of
years.
Foto
credit:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=366214
