travel

Are the politicians just at it again with more of the same? Well, probably yes and probably no. The new government is, especially at the urging of business interests, studying the previous studies and like all governments do, making noises about a light rail system or some other mass transit solution to the capital's congested traffic. But is there really a will to make drivers pay for city parking or to step on the toes of the bus and taxi syndicates? Those propositions seem doubtful, and the money for any major project like a light rail system won't be in the coming year's austere budget and isn't likely to be available anytime soon. But meanwhile, Transito says that sometime next year the traffic lights in Panama City will be synchronized by computer, in order to allow drivers to get around town with fewer stops. That would be a significant improvement --- not by any means a complete solution to our immense urban traffic problem, but something that can be done and should be done with the resources that the government has.

The political culture whereby Panamanians with grievances against the government or society in general express themselves by blocking traffic? Well, that's another problem. However, with a computerized traffic light system that has the proper controls, the cascading effect wherein a blockage on one metro traffic artery causes gridlock around the city might be reduced.

Back to top