Thousands of motorcyclists crowded as registration deadline expires

Santo Domingo, DR
Yesterday, along a line of four columns, starting outside the parking lot of the headquarters of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant), and going around the Quisqueya Stadium, thousands of motorcyclists were crowded as the extension of the registration plan was executed by the General Directorate of Security of Transit and Land Transportation (Digesett), in the National District, expired.

The motorcycle registration center was short of the high demand of motorcyclists, who came to update their status for driving on the streets to avoid the seizure of their units.

Many got up early and made time to be among the first to be attended, like Jeffrey Martinez, who since 3:00 a.m. was at the registration booth, although at 11:30 a.m., he was still going through the process.

“I have not eaten, and I am drowning in this heat; President Abinader wants a thousand licenses, we are fed up, why do we have to get another one?” were some users’ complaints.

Registration

By midday, there were already 594,300 motorcycles registered, according to the entity’s spokesman, Ramon Baldeyaque.

Baldeyaque pointed out that the registration services will continue to operate in the National District, Greater Santo Domingo, San Cristobal, Santiago, La Romana, San Francisco de Macoris, San Juan, and La Vega, among other districts, but Digesett will inspect those citizens with motorcycles.

The National Motorcycle Registration Plan began in June 2021 and is part of the “National Strategy for Citizen Security “My Safe Country,” which is led by the Ministry of Interior and Police.

Inspection process

Yesterday began the inspection of users who have not complied with the registration of their motorcycles, following Law 63-17 of the registration plan, which establishes the mandatory use of the labeled protective helmet with the motorcycle license plate, and category 1 license.

In a tour through the avenues Winston Churchill Avenue, John F. Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln, it was verified that members of the Digesett were applying fines and seizing motorcycles in the absence of what was required.

Graphic reporters of Listin Diario captured the moment when a member of the Army was stopped as he was leaving a tunnel on John F. Kennedy Avenue on a motorcycle, but then he was “released with his motorcycle.”

The soldier was driving a motorcycle without a license plate or protective helmet with numbered tape. In view of the citizens present, the agents took the motorcycle to the tow truck but did not load it, along with three other seized vehicles.

Journalists pretended to leave the place but settled on the pedestrian bridge to observe the measure that the transit authority was going to take with the violator of the law. After 10 minutes, the soldier was released and left with his motorcycle. Even with the operation underway, reporters observed motorcycles passing through tunnels and overpasses.

In a hurry in Santiago

Dozens of motorcyclists crowded yesterday at the Ministry of Public Works installations to register their vehicles in the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) plan.

They were waiting for service in an atmosphere marked by the noise of horns, foul words, and discussions motivated by the beginning of the placement of fines by Digesett agents.

Domingo Matías, coordinator of Intrant in Cibao, indicated that 1,000 motorcycles are registered every day, and he considers that the process is progressing well.

Northern Region.

“So far, everything has developed normally, although there is a lot of desperation on the part of those who did not come in the time that was enabled, in order to do the process,” said Domingo Matías.

At the headquarters of Public Works in Santiago, motorcyclists complained because they understood that the process was very slow, and in fact, a man named Wellington Rojas even accused the security personnel of selling turns for two thousand pesos, a situation that generated the support of those present.

“The situation is horrible, I’ve been here since four in the morning and my head hurts… Today there have been about four fights,” said Rojas, who works as a delivery man for an Uruguayan company.