Transportation expert sees little progress in Dominican Republic transit
Santo Domingo.- The director of the University Institute of Traffic and Road Safety at the University of Valencia, Francisco Alonso, has expressed concerns about the lack of progress in terms of road safety and education in the Dominican Republic. Alonso, who previously played a key role in developing the implementation regulations for Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transportation, Traffic, and Road Safety in the country, pointed out that many drivers in the Dominican Republic continue to display aggressive and disrespectful behavior toward traffic laws.
While he acknowledged some small progress, such as drivers now giving way to ambulances and firefighters, Alonso’s overall assessment of traffic and road safety in the country was less positive than desired. He emphasized that the Dominican population still lacks awareness of these issues and believes that addressing this problem requires greater urgency and social change.
Alonso also noted that traffic jams in the country often result from people obstructing intersections, leading to congestion. He mentioned the recent government initiative to develop new mass transportation methods, such as trams, metropolitan trains, and cable cars, as a positive step to alleviate traffic congestion.
In addition, Alonso stressed the importance of ensuring road safety for both tourists and the local workforce in the tourism sector. He recommended measures such as driver training, including road safety education in schools, and the study of road sections with a history of high accident rates to improve overall safety.
this is how this scam works, this so called expert comes and critizise the system, and of course offers his “advising” and “consulting”. locals politians hire them and public money goes into their pockets.
In my opinion, to decongest the streets of Santo Domingo and reduce the number of vehicles on the road, the government and private sector should invest in building a large-scale underground pedestrian network like in cities such as Toronto and Montreal. I think this would go a LONG way honestly..
Well a red light is not just a suggestion. You would be hard pressed to change the behavior of most vehicle operators here, They seldom comprehend the reality of danger until its too late. There is no enforcement or financial consequence for driving poorly, just death or permanent disability. Its like when you were a teenager and just learning to drive. You got into a few fender benders or close calls and you altered your driving or you lost all privileges. not here. The only thing slowing these people down is caskets and crutches.