The RD$30 billion project that will provide Santiago de los Caballeros with a monorail system and cable car system, all designed to reduce traffic jams in the city, has produced a stout reaction from the hundreds and hundreds of public car drivers in the city and the surrounding areas. Without any warning, the drivers halted all traffic over the Hermanos Patiño bridge and the entire surrounding area, including the Southern Beltway along the Yaque River. The tie up lasted, basically, all day.
The drivers said that they had been using part of the area for parking and picking up passengers for over 40 years, and now the government agency Opret is kicking them out to clear the way for the construction of the new systems. Juan Marte, the head of the National Center for Transportation Workers (CNTT), called the move an improvisation on the part of government officials.
The parking restrictions affect not only the local “concho” routes inside the city but also various inter-city routes to San Jose de las Matas, Los Almacigos, Hato del Yaque, Janico, and Sabana Iglesia. Over 1,000 drivers on 14 local routes are part of the group.
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Listin Diario
11 July 2022