Spanish
Santo Domingo.- In June, the Dominican Government, through the Transportation Cabinet, presented the new comprehensive traffic management strategy for Greater Santo Domingo, an initiative that marks a turning point in the way mobility is organized, regulated, and optimized in the capital and surrounding areas.
It's not the first time that concrete solutions have been sought for the long traffic jams of vehicles on the different roads of the city, however they have only worked for a moment or simply haven't given the expected results.These are some of the main measures that have been implemented so far:
Tunnels and overpasses
In the late 2000s, the so-called “Duarte Corridor” emerged as the big bet to solve the traffic chaos of Greater Santo Domingo. With the promise of speeding up travel between the west and east of the city, the plan included the construction of a series of overpasses at strategic intersections.
Among them are those inaugurated between 2010 and 2012 at points such as Charles de Gaulle with San Isidro (2011), Kennedy Avenue with Defilló (2010) and Ortega y Gasset with 27 de Febrero (2010), among others. In their time, these works represented a visible improvement in vehicular flow. However, the relief was temporary. The accelerated growth of the vehicle fleet —which already exceeds five million units throughout the country, with an overwhelming concentration in Greater Santo Domingo— ended up overflowing the capacity of these infrastructures. The Duarte Corridor TODAY reflects the lack of long-term planning and the urgent need for a sustainable, comprehensive mobility model adapted to urban growth.Intermittent conch by green and yellow colors (2005)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Amet) in 2005 arranged for the alternation of concho cars by two colors: green and yellow. At that time, some 20,000 cars made up the concho service and barely 13,200 had their color labels in the early days. AMET warned of the removal from the streets of vehicles that did not have the new identification.Track Change (2020)
On November 14, 2020, the City Council of the National District, together with INTRANT, the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation Safety (DIGESETT), and the Ministry of Public Works, implemented changes in the direction of roads in the Central Polygon. This measure included 42 streets within the quadrant of the Máximo Gómez, John F. Kennedy, Gregorio Luperón, and 27 de Febrero Avenues. The changes to reduce congestion and improve the quality of life of citizens in the area of greatest commercial use in the city favored circulation on several streets, impacting sectors such as Evaristo Morales, Los Prados, Los Praditos, Ensanche Quisqueya, Las Praderas and El Millón. The Metro managed by the Oficina para el Reordenamiento del Transporte (OPRET), its construction was authorized in 2005 and the system began operating in 2008, with a bridge link over the Isabela River.
Park RD (2021)
This plan contemplates the construction and completion of some 2,109 parking units in the Centro de los Héroes, La Fe extension, Zona Colonial and near the José María Cabral y Báez hospital, in Santiago, in charge of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and the General Directorate of the Public-Private Alliance (DPPs), by 2021. President Luis Abinader affirmed at that time that the plan will allow, in a short time, to obtain multiple benefits such as the increase in the capacity of the roads and circulation, a lower fuel consumption, which results in less environmental pollution. They delivered in that year the first building of parking in La Atarazana of the Colonial City, a work developed to reduce the limited parking offer in this historical point. So far, they have not delivered the other promised buildings and there are two parking projects under construction: Centro de los Héroes I and Centro de los Héroes II.Project "Park Properly" (2022)
It came into effect on Monday, September 26, 2022, with the purpose of favoring transit and urban mobility, through the specification of right-hand parking, in the same direction as the road, in some already identified areas. This intervention aimed to facilitate vehicular traffic through the reduction of traffic jams resulting from improper parking, and at the same time promote respect for traffic signs, not only in the areas where "paquéate bien" operates, but also for this civic culture to grow so that it is applied on all roads nationwide.The sectors where the Parquéate Bien program was implemented
- Piantini
- Naco
- Ensanche Paraíso
- Ensanche Serrallés
Heavy Traffic Regulation (2021)
"Get on Route DN" Plan: This consisted of diverting trucks to the bypass, reducing their presence on internal avenues by approximately 50%, with the aim of improving external traffic flow. Originally, this pilot plan to regulate freight transport in the National District was extended for an additional 15 days, and then definitive measures were announced based on the results obtained. This measure is implemented by the National Institute of Transit and Terrestrial Transportation (INTRANT) during the Easter and Christmas holidays with the aim of guaranteeing road safety and facilitating vehicular flow during the festivities.
Smart Traffic Lights
In 2023, President Luis Abinader announced that he would allocate RD$1,200 million, through the National Institute of Transit and Terrestrial Transportation (Intrant), for the implementation of smart traffic lights in 334 intersections of Greater Santo Domingo with a camera to notify the control center of any irregularities on the avenues. With the implementation of smart traffic lights, with cutting-edge technological innovation, traffic accidents would decrease and traffic congestion would be reduced, giving greater priority to intersections with higher vehicular flow.The installations were suspended as a precautionary measure after noting three irregularities out of the many presented by a group of companies against the awarding and subsequent contract of the Intrant with the company Transcore Latam, SRL.
«Zero Junk Plan 2025»
This plan was executed with the objective of removing deteriorated vehicles from the streets to improve road safety, the environment, and the country's image. The plan involves the removal of abandoned and dilapidated vehicles, promoting their replacement with new or less polluting vehicles.
This plan was promoted by the National Union of Unified Transporters (CNTU), with the support of concessionaires, insurers, banks, and financial entities, which will offer economic incentives to the owners to facilitate the process.RD Moves (2025)
"RD Moves", includes operational, regulatory, technological, and urban planning measures. In this plan, staggered work hours will be implemented to distribute vehicle demand. A staggering of hours will be implemented in public and private institutions, with two blocks for public servants: 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., starting on July 1, 2025.You may be interested in: Metro and Line 1 of the Cable Car of SD will start operations at 5:30 a.m. from July 31
In addition to a ban on left turns at some key intersections to speed up traffic flow, traffic light synchronization to optimize traffic flow and reduce waiting times, and the use of public transport will be promoted as an alternative to private vehicles to reduce congestion.Continuous Solutions Search
Many of these efforts faced criticism for lack of impact assessment or sustainable improvements on a day-to-day basis, so both the Government and different sectors of society continue to seek other solutions. Part of the suggestions address the motorcycle problem which annually total more than two hundred and fifty thousand, being one of the main elements in traffic accidents. Some propose that motorcycles used in the commission of crimes, offenses and in the violation of traffic laws that cause accidents, be seized and destroyed by the authorities. One of the fundamental aspects to strengthen is the lack of road culture and civic education and an effective consequences regime that implies the application of the Law 63‑17 of transit, which is not fully complied with.
