Well this was the day to hit the road again. It was going to be a long drive to the Orinoco. Instead I am still in Bogota for a peculiar reason.
In Colombia's larger cities, to keep the already amazingly congested streets from being more congested, every workday is assigned numbers. A person is not allowed to drive on those days which correspond with the last number of the car's license plate. Today the number 8 applies to Monday in Bogota and so our rental car is out of commission. The fine for violating this rule is the equivalent of $250.00. Police are heavily on the lookout for violators. I understand it works like this: the car keys are taken to the precinct, the car is parked on the street and then after 8pm the keys can be released to the driver after the receipt is shown for having paid the fine. In this way, about two days a week, people must find alternative transportation. Trucks are exempt.
What is your opinion of this law? Does it really provide value? Should something similar be instituted in any of the big cities in America? I ask myself these questions and relish the enjoyment of experiencing the small oddities of other cultures.
That's pretty interesting. Trucks, huh? I guess people need goods and supplies more than they need to get to work. Does Bogota have good public transportation? It could be a fair trade-off, and at least they sought a creative solution. It would get my attention, for sure.
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