Santo Domingo. The senator for the Santiago Rodríguez province, Antonio Marte, proposed the creation of a Ministry of Transport that would consolidate the functions of the various entities linked to traffic and mobility, with the aim of addressing the disorder that, in his view, prevails on the country’s streets and avenues.
The legislator stated that the lack of a unified official policy has caused a dispersion of responsibilities among various institutions, which hinders the effective implementation of measures to organize traffic.
“This way there will be no shared responsibilities that in the end are never fulfilled, because there are several people involved in the problem and since each one has their own way of working, no one does anything,” stated Marte.
The senator explained that he submitted a bill to the Senate through which the new ministry would be created as the governing body of the national transport system, absorbing functions currently performed by several entities.
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As indicated, the project contemplates integrating agencies such as the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation Safety (Digesett) and the National Institute of Traffic and Land Transportation (Intrant), in addition to coordinating the road planning currently being developed by the Ministry of Public Works and other dependencies.
“With a single institution there would be a single plan, a single budget and a clearly identified authority to apply Law 63-17 with greater rigor,” he maintained.
Among the measures proposed in the legislative initiative are the creation of a specialized traffic prosecutor’s office, the automatic suspension of licenses for drivers who accumulate unpaid fines, and the effective application of the point system contemplated in current legislation.
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The project also proposes more severe sanctions for those who violate traffic rules, including the suspension of licenses for six months upon accumulating 12 points and penalties for those who run red lights.
Likewise, Marte proposed developing permanent road safety education campaigns and strengthening operational capacity to remove broken-down or poorly parked vehicles that obstruct traffic.
“Bottle caps represent at least 40% of the problem. That is why we propose having about 200 cranes operating 24 hours a day in Greater Santo Domingo,” he pointed out.
The proposal also contemplates the implementation of photo-fines, the regulation of so-called informal parking attendants through identification and training, the installation of smart traffic lights, and the expansion of feeder routes to strengthen public transport.
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Finally, the legislator suggested establishing controls on vehicle imports until a program for replacing old and junk units is completed, as part of a strategy aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving road safety in the country.
