A few weeks ago the Costa Rica government approved a restriction that stated that depending on last number of your car plate, your car was not allowed to be driven on certain areas of San Jose during rush hour. On the first date, the traffic police wrote over 750 tickets to drivers not complying with the restriction. As the weeks went by, more and more people started to follow the law and right now fewer tickets are written everyday.
This restriction was approved as a solution for the excessive amount of cars driving on the main highways and roads as well as an opportunity to save money and gas. In Costa Rica, almost everyone owns a car and the roads are old, therefore thy were not built to hold the huge amount of vehicles that pass by everyday, causing extremely annoying traffic, road holes and accidents all over the place. Costa Rica transportation has become a circus in the last few weeks due to this restriction.
In Costa Rica, buses have established routes that have not been changed properly over the years; therefore, moving across town is still an adventure for many. For example, if you live on the East side of San Jose and your workplace is on the West side, it can take up to 3 hours to get there by bus, not to mention that you will need to take one bus, then walk about 10 blocks to the next bus stop or take another bus to that bust stop and then go West. Same thing if you need to travel the other way around.
A good solution is to take the train. The Tren Urbano, as I mentioned in previous posts is a lovely ride that goes from West to East and backwards during rush hours on weekdays. This ride cuts traveling time from one side to the other at least for an hour and 30 minutes.
Starting this Thursday, the restriction will be increased from rush hour only to the full 24 hours. If you are in Costa Rica, areas of restriction are what they call the “Casco Metropolitano” and it includes all the main roads of downtown San Jose. Regarding the rest of the provinces, there is no restriction for the moment. Make sure you keep in mind all this information if you are going to drive while you are in Costa Rica and also, make sure you carry all your documentation correctly.
