Costa Rica News – If any of you have had the absolute pleasure (sarcasm) of driving to a meeting in San Jose and finding a place to park your vehicle near the meting location, it is like finding the mythical unicorn. They do not exist.
Now if you are driving in San Jose, and cannot find a meter a valid parking space you can receive a fine. They have set this fine at up to 47,000 colones ($94). This is going to be e field day for cops in San Jose with a fine this high.
You will have to find a legal parking spot. To date, there are 1,500 public parking spaces in San Jose, and will not be until mid-2014 that is expected to have 3,100 spaces. For now, the rates will be 255 colones per half hour and 510 colones per hour.
That’s right there are over 500,000 people each day that drive into San Jose to work. Over 500,000 commuters from everywhere that come to this central hub. 1,500 parking spaces in San Jose…….You do the math.
I am going to love to see how they enforce this law.
They are going to have to hire like 5000 more cops just to write the tickets for these vehicles. Cops are going to also be signing up to take this duty as they are going to pretty much hit up anyone parking in an illegal spot for close to $10 to $20 a person.
The conversation in Spanish will be:
Officer – “Hey you are parked in an illegal spot, you know there is now a fine for that, correct?”
Parking Violator – “No officer I did not know” – Everyone always pleads ignorance in Costa Rica as it is an excepted excuse to do things.
Officer – “There is a law now and it comes with a fine of up to 47,000 colones. But since you did not know if you give me 10,000 colones right now we can forget about it.”
Officer is handed 10,000 colones ($20) and violator drives off.
