Driving Restrictions in Costa Rica to be Lengthed.

Just over two weeks ago, Costa Rica adjusted to a new law of the road: Placa y Pico, which determines driving restrictions based on license plate (placa) during rush hour (hora pico). As of tomorrow, the law’s nickname would be better changed to merely Placa, as restrictions will now extend to the entire day.

An unofficial announcement was made last week, though as with all Costa Rican laws, nothing is official until it is published in La Gaceta. Today, the Vice Minister of Transportation, Viviana Martín, announced that the decree will be placed in Thursday’s edition of La Gaceta, and the restrictions will begin at 6 a.m. that day. Beginning on Friday, June 11, restrictions will last from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m., and the restricted area will be the same as before, covering the anillo de Circunvalación, which angles from La Uruca to the main road in Calle Blancos (Goicoechea), essentially covering all of central San José.

Martín explained that the additional restrictions are necessary because, despite rush hour restrictions, the country only managed to consume 5 percent less fuel last month. It is still unknown how much fuel is used by vehicles navigating through downtown San José, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) is as yet unsure of the effect that the increased restrictions will have. If a significant decrease in fuel consumption is not achieved with the new restrictions, then the government is already considering extending the new law to the rest of San José province.

In addition to newly restricted hours, drivers who ignore the law will be fined more severely. Instead of ¢5,000, a ¢6,500 ticket awaits all infringers, which includes a 30% tax for the National Board of Infancy (PANI). As before, license plates ending in 1 and 2 will be restricted on Mondays, those ending in 3 and 4 on Tuesdays, 5 and 6 on Wednesdays, 7 and 8 on Thursdays, and 9 and 0 on Fridays. Restrictions apply to personal vehicles and and trucks. Motorcycles, public transportation busses, school buses, work busetas, cars with special permission (for example, those transporting the disabled), and emergency vehicles will not be restricted. On weekends, everyone is free to drive as desired.

With the new restrictions, MOPT plans to reduce vehicle traffic in San José by 20 to 22%. In addition to less fuel consumption and less crowded streets, the new restrictions have already raised funds: in the last 2+ weeks, 4,500 tickets have been issued, raking in ¢29,250,000 (approximately $59,000).

A welcome side effect of Placa y Pico has been faster commute times. Already, many buses have reported much faster route times, sometimes taking half as long as before. Car commuters, on their allowed days, have witnessed less traffic and quicker drives, allowing them to not only save gas, but their own sanity. Even better, these positive effects only promise to grow with the newly increased restrictions, and will hopefully be all that’s needed to convince naysayers that a bit of inconvenience can be convenient for all. If the effects of this new law are positive, it is possible that it may later be applied to all Costa Rica Travel routes.

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on July 9th, 2008