The South Expressway It is in the middle of the construction process by the Municipality of Limabut it has already been opened to vehicular traffic, so only private vehicles are supposed to travel through it, but that is not happening, since in recent days public transport buses have been seen using said expressway, which is prohibited.
READ HERE: Miraflores: they target striking accusations against applicants for neighborhood councils
Initially, some neighbors thought that the movement of buses along the South Expressway was a temporary situation, since a few days ago a broken pipe was reported and that the units were using said route to avoid the congestion that was forming in sectors of Surco. However, the circulation of buses continued.
The Commerce tried to collect the version of the municipality of Surco, but sources from said commune reported that the issue is the responsibility of the Municipality of Lima, so they avoided commenting on the issue. For his part, the Urban Mobility manager of the MML, Alberto Peralta, pointed out to The Commerce that “the ATU is the only entity that authorizes routes for public transport companies, however, it stressed that it is coordinating with the ATU Inspection Directorate to initiate sanctioning processes for diversion of routes without authorization.”
Testimonials
Adolfo is a citizen who boards a bus every day to go to the Plaza de Flores del Metropolitano station, but on Monday he used a taxi, which traveled along the Vía Expresa Sur and he noticed that up to three units from three public transport companies with passengers on board were circulating on said expressway, mainly at the height of Ayacucho Avenue.
He told The Commerce that the units stopped on the main track of the Expressway to drop off passengers, despite the risk that said action represented, since the vehicles move at high speed and there are no established whereabouts. He even detailed that the taxi in which he was traveling almost collided with a bus that blocked his way.
The Southern Expressway presents great traffic congestion during rush hour. (Photo: @Palomavc/X)
He indicated that the buses come from Tomás Marsano Avenue, travel along Ayacucho Avenue and must enter the area known as Surco Viejo, but they enter through the Vía Expresa Sur to have a more direct trip to Paseo de la República Avenue and thus avoid the congestion typical of rush hour.
Another neighbor told this newspaper that buses travel along the Vía Expresa Sur especially at rush hours, since the streets of Surco Viejo have high traffic congestion because particular units try to cross from west to east and vice versa. He assured that the few personnel deployed at the crossings prevent the vehicles from being inspected.
ATU begins sanctioning process against companies whose buses circulated on Vía Expresa Sur
Given the irregular situation that occurs on the Southern Expressway, the ATU informed The Commerce that has identified the license plate of two units that belong to formally authorized transport companies, for which a sanctioning process will be applied.
MORE INFORMATION HERE: Bicentennial Generation Scholarship in limbo: the stories of the young people affected, the fate of the budget and the negligence of the authorities
“An administrative sanctioning process (PAS) will be initiated against the operators for failing to comply with their authorized route, an infraction classified as RE28, considered very serious. This failure entails a fine equivalent to 50% of a UIT (S/ 2750), as well as the precautionary suspension of the vehicle license,” the entity indicated in its statement.
The Southern Expressway was inaugurated even though the elevated structures have yet to be built. (Photo: Antonio Melgarejo/El Comercio)
“It is important to specify that the ATU supervises and sanctions transportation violations. For its part, improper circulation on an expressway constitutes a traffic violation,” the entity stated.
The ATU reported that it has the Citizen Portal (https://soluciones.atu.gob.pe/portal_ciudadano/logi) so that people can report this type of fault, so that the corresponding actions can be taken.
Experts
Edwin Derteano, president of the Transitemos Foundation, indicated that the issue of the circulation of public transport buses on the Vía Expresa Sur is due to the fact that said work has been opened to vehicular traffic without the work being completed.
“The underlying issue is that the road was inaugurated before it was finished, that does not disqualify the good intention of finishing a road that had been dormant for decades, but unfortunately they are clouded by these small details,” the specialist told The Commerce.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED: A building out of control: the story of the 11-story construction 3 meters wide and its owner denounced
“They have inaugurated it a little incomplete and shortly before it was ready and that is causing some problems,” he added.
Derteano explained that the circulation of public transportation units on certain roads in the city is authorized by the Urban Transportation Authority of Lima and Callao (ATU), while the Municipality of Lima is responsible for controlling traffic.
The president of Transitemos did agree that in the future the auxiliary roads of the Vía Expresa Sur will be used by public transport, since the central part of said project is destined for the Metropolitan, and the demand needs to be met due to the activation of the areas surrounding the road.
It represents a “danger”, says expert
The circulation of public transport buses through the central area of the Vía Expresa Sur represents a “danger”, since the vehicle units move at high speed, warned Franklin Barreto, an expert in traffic, transportation and road safety issues.
In dialogue with The CommerceBarreto explained that the expressways are designed so that public transportation travels through exclusive lanes and not sharing lanes with other units, as established by ordinances 341 and 2499.
YOU CAN SEE HERE: Hermes confirms ONPE improvisation: details of the suspicious request that was made one day before the elections
“In Ordinance 341, of 2001, the metropolitan road system plan was approved and it indicates what the characteristics of the expressways are and refers to the fact that when any type of public transportation goes on an expressway it has to go on exclusive roads, it cannot go alongside another type of transportation,” he stated.
“Also in ordinance 2499, of 2022, the characteristics of a metropolitan expressway are established and it is established that public passenger transportation is restricted,” he added.
