The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Traffic Reduced by
Government Measures
By Rebecca Kimitch
Tico Times Staff
rkimitch@ticotimes.net

A government effort to reduce traffic by changing the schedules of public employees has been a success, officials announced yesterday.

However, the effectiveness of another measure to cut traffic by restricting driving in central San José is still unknown, Environment and Energy Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguez said following President Abel Pacheco's weekly Cabinet meeting.

The measures were launched in August to reduce the country's gasoline consumption in the face of rising fuel prices by reducing the time cars spend in traffic. Rodríguez said the measures have succeeded in saving $10-$15 million – despite the fact that, every month, 6,000-8,000 new cars hit Costa Rican roads.

Other measures are being taken to further reduce gasoline consumption, including the recent reinstatement of a passenger diesel train, which will eventually be made electric, through central San José, and a pilot plan to mix ethanol with gasoline, which will start next month in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

This is the first systematic evaluation of the measures; their effectiveness cannot be fully determined until the third evaluation, Rodríguez said.

For the evaluation, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation counted more than 3,000 cars over five days in various points around central San José before and after the measures were taken.

The change of public employee schedules to one hour earlier ( 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) has succeeded in reducing congestion during peak times and creating a steadier flow throughout the morning and afternoon, explained Minister of Public Works and Transportation Randall Quirós. Traffic flow has improved by 15%, he said.

However, the measure to limit traffic in central San José by prohibiting cars one day a week – based on license plate number – from entering downtown has done little more than push traffic to the outskirts of the restricted area, Quirós admitted.

Both ministers said they are confident success will increase with time.

“The important thing to remember is that saving fuel is about all of us… I will now go to the private sector, to the business sector, to ask them to identify measures they can take to save fuel,” Rodríguez said.

The government is studying the possibility of enforcing driving prohibitions during the entire day (they are currently only enforced during rush hour). However, such steps have been met with limited success in other countries. In Chile and Mexico, people bought second and third cars to get around restrictions based on license plate numbers, Quirós said.

Rising prices at the pump have also contributed to the reduction in gasoline consumption. Prices have increased approximately 33% over the past year, Rodríguez said.

The National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) announced last week that national gasoline consumption fell from August to September, from 292,970 barrels to 281,785 barrels (TT Daily Page, Oct. 25).