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Street parking is generally not permitted on a Costa Rica’s national roads

RICO’s Q — Over the last ten days, the Policia de Transito, the national traffic police, have been conducting sweeps along Avenida 2 of the Ruta 121 or the “old road to Escazú” in Santa Ana’s central district. They’ve been targeting parked cars, sometimes on both sides of the one-way street. Street parking in Costa Rica can be a mixed bag, depending on where you are. In bigger cities like San José, it’s pretty common to find street parking, but don’t expect it to be easy or free. Most street parking spots are paid zones, especially in commercial areas. You’ll usually see parking meters. In Santa Ana, there are no such meters, and street parking is totally free. You can park basically anywhere outside the marked ‘yellow zones’ or official “No Estacionar” signs—those mean no parking. If you leave your car illegally parked, the fine is ¢61,000 colones, and confiscation of license plates and/or towing by the Policia de Transito is a real risk. In short, street parking in Costa Rica is doable but comes with some local quirks—pay attention to signs, keep change handy (in cities like San José, parking meters are operated via an app), and always park responsibly to save yourself from fines or towing. When it comes to national roads, that’s where it gets interesting. Though the local municipality enforces parking, its authority is on town roads and not national roads like the Ruta 121. For that, we have to refer to the Ley de Transito (Traffic Law), which sets out that parking is generally not permitted on Costa Rica’s national roads unless specifically posted and the vehicle does not obstruct traffic. The law prohibits parking in places such as sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, near intersections, or where posted signs prohibit it. Parking in front of fire hydrants, schools, hospitals, or garages is also prohibited, among others. And that is where the confusion lies. In towns like Santa Ana that have a national road, that, other than its designation as a national road, looks and feels like any other road in the town, with potholes and all. But for the parking rule. Last week, in the afternoon hours, typically after 3:00 pm, the Policia de Transito has been out (except when it is raining) in full force, informing, at times bullying, drivers parked illegally, who, like myself, didn’t think they were parking illegally. In my case, I will normally park my vehicle in front of my pizza store. Have been doing this for some time. And never a problem. Until Wednesday, when I heard the distinct sound of a police vehicle and noticed a Transito officer behind my panel van. After a brief conversation with one of the two traffic officials, I was told to move my vehicle (to a side street) or risk having my license plate confiscated. Their warning was clear and left no room for misunderstanding. My neighbours also moved their vehicles or face the same sanction. Naturally, the Mayor of Santa Ana, Juan José Vargas, is taking the heat from drivers and commerce, although it not being his doing. Vargas recently addressed in a video on his Facebook profile the comments circulating on social media about the operations and fines issued by the Traffic Police. Vargas dismissed the posts linking him to these actions as “lies” and asserted that he has no connection with the operations, which, he stated, fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)—Ministry of Public Works and Transportation—as they involve a national road. Furthermore, the Mayor attributed the criticism on social media to people who no longer work for the municipality and who, he said, were acting out of resentment. While researching for this article, I found some other interesting (silly, in my opinion) rules of street parking in Costa Rica: Every parked vehicle must keep the emergency brake on. In urban areas, the vehicle’s tires must be kept no more than 30 centimeters from the curb. Cargo vehicles weighing more than two tons must be wedged with the required wheel chocks. Now you know.