The answer to this question always ends up as a technical and formal dodge: bus inspections are carried out, and the police always listen to the needs of citizens. Reality goes in the opposite direction. The truth is that it is the drivers of passenger cars who comply with these inspections and pay fines when their exhaust pipes fail. And with motorcycles, the problem is entering no man’s territory. The pandemic-facilitated boom in home services has multiplied the number of motorbikes moving from one side of town to the other with their giant delivery boxes. They solve problems for those who do not manage, but they should not cause problems. As transport units, they must respect the roads used by cars and buses. They are one more vehicle and therefore must obey traffic regulations. That should be the norm. Again, the reality is the opposite: at the slightest traffic jam, they zigzag their way through the gaps left by stopped cars. This is when they are no longer considered transport units, but unattainable and problematic enemies of civilized traffic.

Payment of bus fares per kilometer driven, a proposal by the newly elected mayor of Quito that has been accepted, but there are doubts about the economic implications

We return to the question: what does the police do?

A few years ago I asked some Spanish friends how it was possible for their citizens to become so respectful in driving and everything related to handling cars and motorcycles on the street. The answer was that they required years of intensive educational campaigns, high penalties for offenders and a very active role of the police. Thanks to that, it got an exemplary traffic area. At least in urban areas. They still have problems on expressways and highways.

For the hundreds of thousands of Ecuadorian migrants living in Spain, it must have come as a surprise to discover that, as pedestrians, when they step onto the street at a crosswalk, cars practically stop to give them the right of way. And even beyond crosswalks, if children are walking on the sidewalks, drivers slow down. Upon returning to Ecuador, these migrants had to adapt again to this eyeless madness of the local driver, for whom the crosswalk or the zebra crossing simply do not play a role. Yes, I mean those little white strips in front of the traffic lights that have a civilized purpose so that people on foot can cross peacefully, not as frightened creatures that trot and almost bow to drivers who “yield” to them. step as if it were a service. A presence is also needed here, not only as a criminal police officer issuing tickets to cars for obvious violations, but also to educate drivers and pedestrians about respecting the pedestrian crossing.

The vehicle fell into a ravine in Calacali, north of Quito; one injured and one deceased accident

I’m talking mostly about my experience in Quito. But it is not far from what is happening in the rest of the country. If you lose hope that drivers will be polite and take care of others, then there is nothing left but to turn to the authority of the traffic police. But they also fail. It is necessary to see that the traffic police actively and constantly educates the drivers, expels from the traffic the buses that are clearly releasing black curtains of smoke from their exhaust pipes, demanding that motorcyclists do not expose themselves to this constant danger of moving between cars in search of the smallest “small hole” to pass , that is, suddenly and carelessly changing lanes.

Of course, driver education campaigns are still needed. There are never too many of them, and the truth is that for a long time no one has been seen who continues to train the Ecuadorian driver, who has rooted in himself the idea that the steering wheel gives a kind of freedom for arrogance. Wrong idea. Instead, being behind the wheel is a demand for greater responsibility. Driving license renewal exams should not be just a formal space to answer random technical questions about regulations, nor a mere procedure to be followed. It should be a space for conversations with well-trained psychologists and police officers who emphasize the seriousness of pollution by buses or cars, by which I mean gas pollution, but also noise pollution, and even visual pollution: who allows those strobe lights for headlights? I mean, those high-speed lights that are so bright they dazzle other drivers? It is one form of light pollution. Likewise in those driver’s license extensions, the showing of videos of pedestrians who are terrified to cross the street, and the horror of the arrogance of irresponsible drivers.

What I am commenting on is detailed in the rules, regulations and recommendations of individual organizations. These are traffic violations of the third and fourth class. They are standardized, but no one controls their application. The police command should take this matter as a priority in order to avoid the miserable way of driving that is happening in Ecuador. It is about absolute impunity that lowers the quality of life in cities and increases the number of accidents and deaths. Those checks in raids involving the police are not enough. And the police themselves must be educated that every day, every hour, every minute, while they are present on the streets, not only to punish for major violations, but also to educate lousy drivers, punish polluting buses and warn unscrupulous motorcyclists. . They must earn respect by leading by example and adhering to what their institutional vision dictates: “Be committed. Be positive and inspiring.” It’s a long way to prove it. And it’s urgent. (OR)