EDITORIAL – In his opinion column for Crhoy.com, Edgar Espinoza, writes about nightmare that has gripped us all who live and work or visit the capital city, blaming the massive number of vehicles, government negligence and national neglect as the cause for the traffic congestion of San Jose.
In his column, Espinoza says the capital city is condemnation of total paralysis is beginning to be fulfilled, the best evidence is the overflowing imagination of people who, impotent, propose unusual solutions.
After day of one the ‘presadillas’, a word I coined two words “presas” (traffic congestion) and ‘pesadilla’ (nightmare), one of the ‘creative solutions’ was the offer by a Pavas airport company to offer a 5 minute flight between the Pavas and Alajuela (San Jose international) airports for ¢28,000 colones, per person. And there were takers.
Espinoza writes, “in the current circumstance, the idea does not seem crazy, but the problem, rather, is how to get to and from Pavas and Alajuela without dying in the attempt, taking into account that everything, absolutely everything, is collapsed. A drone, a hang glider, a kayak? Fantasy has no limits.”
The columnists said someone suggested a 10-seater ski lift (aerial tramway) over the Central Valley with stations at different points. Great.
“In the realm of entropy, everything, even delirium, is valid,” says Espinoza.
The urban subway, with routes to areas such as Heredia and Alajuela, is not an answer, as it would take a long time, especially in Costa Rica “where eternity needs extensions.”
The commuter train is of no use, one it cannot meet the demands and the almost daily crashes with vehicles takes it constantly out of service. This month alone there have been almost 20 crashes between trains and vehicles, the average being 2 crashes every 3 days.
Espinoza writes that a neighbor of his had to make the unprecedented decision this week, renting a hotel room near the airport to ensure that his daughter and grandson would not miss their flight back to Europe.
So many tourists, even as famous as the Kardashians, prefer to land at the Liberia (Guanacaste) airport and totally avoid San Jose.
“We would have been fascinated to see Kim walk her pride on Avenida Central,” says Espinoza. “I know people who have left their homes to live near work centers; People who buy a bike and risk their lives and even friends who pay a psychologist to teach them to endure with stoicism the four hours a day spent waiting in traffic congestion.”
As many have quickly needed to adapt, “the consequence of the catastrophe ‘Josefina’ (San Jose) is that the nights are no longer for sleeping but for an advance to avoid the following day’s traffic congestion, as is the case with certain delivery trucks and, in particular, the residents of San Ramón, Palmares, Naranjo and Grecia who, on the subject of ‘platina’, leave their homes in waves at 4 in the morning to work and not even saved from the road presidio”.
Read the Espinoza column (in Spanish) here.
