The Fenatrado transport union said yesterday, Thursday 20 December that more than 800 truckers would have to find a new route to cross the National District, once the ban on heavy vehicles on the Malecon (George Washington Avenue) between Maximo Gomez Avenue and Arzobispo Merino Street goes into effect. The number does not include the large companies that manufacture beverages on the Malecon (Coca-Cola and Cerveza Presidente) and La Feria.
Fenatrado president Blas Peralta said that the proposal in general, which was approved by the City Council on Wednesday, 19 December, had been agreed upon by the union that covers the trucking sector. Nonetheless, he admitted that within the prohibition they did not discuss a contingency plan for traffic. “We do not know what route we are going to use now,” he said. Also left out of the proposal was the use of the Malecon during nighttime hours. “We met with the council members on several occasions and we acceded to their wishes.”
“We do not know about the final draft that was passed, but the requests that we made included one that would allow us to travel along the Malecon between midnight and six in the morning because of the low number of vehicles at that time,” said Peralta. As a result of the ban, truckers will have to return via Maximo Gomez Avenue and the possibility of entering is by way of Independencia Avenue, currently in use by a large number of truckers, and the 27 de Febrero Avenue.