The collaboration includes the maintenance of the traffic light network, operations against motorcyclists who violate the Traffic Law, and a signage campaign to ensure that cargo vehicles travel in the right lane on national roads
SANTO DOMINGO.- The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (INTRANT) and the RD Vial Trust will reinforce road safety in the country by incorporating two cranes intended for the maintenance of traffic lights and enforcement operations, as well as the application of new controls aimed at drivers of heavy vehicles and motorcyclists.
As part of this collaboration, the entity in charge of managing road infrastructure provided the traffic regulatory body with a crane with a hydraulic arm and another with a platform, which will be used to expedite the maintenance of the traffic light network and support the operations carried out together with the General Directorate of Traffic Safety and Land Transport (DIGESETT).
Cranes will support traffic light maintenance and enforcement
Regarding the use of this equipment, one of the units, equipped with a hydraulic arm that allows technical personnel to be lifted, will be used for traffic light maintenance. The second unit, a platform truck, will be incorporated into operations against motorcyclists who violate the provisions of Law 63-17, especially those who run red lights.
This joint effort, led by the director of INTRANT, Juan Manuel Méndez García, and the representative of RD Vial, Hostos Risik, seeks to strengthen the operational capacity of both entities and improve compliance with traffic regulations.
Heavy goods vehicles must travel in the right lane
In addition to strengthening operational teams, another focus of the cooperation is a signage and guidance campaign on highways, motorways and ring roads throughout the country, aimed at drivers of heavy goods vehicles and cargo trucks.
The purpose is to ensure that these units circulate exclusively in the right lane, in accordance with the provisions of numeral 4 of Law 63-17 and Resolution 003-2023.
Among the roads where this initiative is being developed are the Duarte and November 6th highways, the Eastern Highway and the Santo Domingo Ring Road.
In this regard, Méndez García reiterated the institutions' commitment to ensuring compliance with these provisions and warned of the consequences for those who fail to comply.
"INTRANT and RD Vial are committed to ensuring that heavy vehicles, after the proper signage is installed on the Duarte, 6 de Noviembre, Autovía del Este and Circunvalación de Santo Domingo highways, travel in the right lane, in compliance with the law; otherwise, they will be sanctioned," he said.
To ensure the application of these provisions, the work will be carried out in coordination with DIGESETT and the Military and Police Commission (COMIPOL), agencies that will participate in the supervision and control of traffic.
Speed controls and freight transport regulation
In addition, work is also underway to install speed controls on highways, as part of strategies aimed at reducing traffic accidents, promoting safer driving and decreasing the risks associated with speeding.
In the urban area, the governing body of land transport coordinates with the municipalities, especially in the National District, the recovery and consolidation of the routes and circulation points previously established for barges and trucks within the city.
This provision aims to organize the movement of freight transport in urban areas and prevent these vehicles from circulating outside of authorized routes.
They will seek to guarantee the use of helmets and driver's licenses
On the other hand, strengthening road safety also includes motorcyclists. In this regard, the director of the agency reported that agreements are being promoted with the import sector of these vehicles.
The proposal consists of ensuring that people who purchase a motorcycle leave commercial establishments with a certified protective helmet and their corresponding driver's license.
In this way, the aim is to strengthen prevention from the moment of vehicle purchase and to promote compliance with safety regulations among motorcyclists.
Taken together, these provisions are part of the traffic authorities' efforts to strengthen road safety, improve transportation organization, and promote compliance with traffic regulations. However, their implementation also raises questions about the scope of their powers to inspect and impound vehicles, particularly when it comes to motorcyclists riding without a helmet or driver's license.
In that context, Law No. 63-17, on Mobility, Land Transport, Transit and Road Safety, establishes the infractions, sanctions and precautionary measures that the authorities can apply, so it is necessary to distinguish which behaviors are sanctioned with fines and in what circumstances there is a legal basis to retain a motorcycle.
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