NewsWhore
12-05-2011, 12:50 PM
The number of vehicles coursing the streets of downtown Santiago is turning the main commercial arteries into a chaotic mess, according to El Caribe. Over the last ten years the number of public transport vehicles has grown by 30% and yet controls on these cars are at least ten years out of date. The main streets, such as Restauracion, San Luis, Del Sol and 30 de Marzo are testament to the fact that not even AMET can impose order on the public cars (conchos) that bring 28 different routes into the downtown area. The article says that the lack of control is part of the interplay between the "owners" through gifts and private business dealings with city council members. In 2004 there were 4,749 cars working the streets, and in 2011 there are at least 6,370, with no new rules or solutions for the congested traffic. According to the local AMET commander, Colonel Bartolo Gil Melo, AMET can only cover 25% of the most congested areas because they lack the personnel. Architect Sergio Taveras, the first AMET director in Santiago has been outspoken when it comes to proposing solutions: "If they don't take the "conchos" out of the city center, there is no possible solution for the chaos and disorder in Santiago."
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