Some Samara residents are concerned about the bad condition of a speed bump on Route 160 that has become a potential risk to drivers and pedestrians.
The speed bump is located approximately two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the center of Samara just before the entrance to Santo Domingo. Since it goes across just one lane of the road, many drivers go around it instead of having to brake.
Bonifacio Diaz, Samara’s district representative, explained that the speed bump has been there for at least one year and it was put in by a local resident who was unable to finish it because the director of Nicoya’s transit police ordered him to discontinue the work because he didn’t have permits to do so, and instead ordered him to destroy the part that he had made.
However, a year later, the speed bump remains just as it was and is a risk for potential accidents for those who travel through the area because it covers only a portion of the lane and has already caused several accidents.
Diaz said he remembers at least three traffic accidents that have occurred due to this obstacle on the road and he sent a document to the department of traffic engineering in Liberia months ago, reporting the incidents. However, he has not yet received a response from the authorities.
Similarly, Lavae Aldrich, a Samara resident, expressed concern about a traffic accident that occurred in December of 2014 between a motorcyclist and a vehicle. “I still don’t understand why the speed bump has not been finished or destroyed. It is really dangerous to drive through there,” Aldrich commented.
In this regard, Victor Reyes, head of the Road Management Technical Unit (UTGV- Unidad Tecnica de Gestion Vial), reported that a few months ago, the Road Safety Council (COSEVI) delegated this responsibility to the municipalities, so it is now up to them to monitor and supervise the construction and maintenance of speed bumps on routes that are within the canton.
Regarding the problem of this speed bump in particular, Reyes said he was unaware of the situation but explained that the solution would be to complete it to prevent it from being a problem on the road, although they are still waiting for the technical criteria from COSEVI to proceed.
The UTGV estimates that the approximate cost of each speed bump is between 100,000 and 150,000 colones (about $185 to $285).
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