The proposal of the Minister of Transportation, William Camargo, to manage the mobility of private vehicles during peak hours to alleviate congestion on the roads, as he made known in a recent meeting with the country’s taxi drivers union, It left a strong controversy among mobility experts and some unions, such as merchants, due to the impact that a measure of this nature has on the economy and about those who use public transport, which in Clombia is still insufficient and insecure.
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According to the Minister, heThe solution to congestion does not lie in adding more vehicles to the roads. Instead, it suggests that different measures should be taken, including improving public transportation and possibly restricting private vehicles during rush hour.
“When we allocate public infrastructure during peak hours to be used by private vehicles, public transport and motorcycles, we also harm the operation of public transport. Several cities in the past have already shown hours that this can be improved with peak restrictions. The same The concept of a ‘car-free day’ is an invitation for us to prioritize alternative modes of transport, with public transport as the main axis, because, furthermore, this is how mobility works globally,” he said.
However, the proposal has drawn criticism from the auto sector. Eduardo Visbal, Fenalco’s vice president of foreign trade, argued in Noticias Caracol that the Minister’s proposal does not correspond to the reality of the country.
He stated that although public transport has improved a lot in recent years, it is still insufficient and unsafe.
For his part, José Stalin Rojas, director of the observatory for mobility of the U. Nacional, suggested in the aforementioned medium that public transport should be safer, more comfortable and accessible for low-income users.The proposal would be evaluated in each of the territorial entities, according to the Minister.
