Panamas transportation outlook for 2014
WORK has begun on new electronic toll booths designed to speed up traffic flow on the North and South corridors. The first are being built facing Atlapa near the Corridor Sur.
They will ultimately carry equipment to monitor vehicles electronically with a total of 33 booths, 19 on the North Corridor and 14 on the South. They will also carry surveillance cameras.
The new system is expected to start operating in late February.
Meanwhile, work on the Panama Metro subway is still underway. Announcements were made that passengers will travel free for the month of January and February, but no final opening date has been given.
The Metro bus service has been “running in” for three years, but user complaints continue to flow, largely focused on inadequate service and waits of up to 90 minutes for a bus.
Traffic log jams continue in spite of the opening of new underpasses, and schools being on holiday. Hopes of an easing when the subway works are complete, are balanced by the influx of some 4,000 new vehicles coming on to the roads each month.
The good news is Panama is a dream compared to Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, and other major cities around the world.
A happy driving year to all readers living in Panama.