Accidents and deficiencies in the traffic system represent a high economic cost, estimated at 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and are incidents that should always be conceptualized as preventable and avoidable, considered the Spanish expert Francisco Alonso, who offered a conference on the topic of land transportation.
He described mortality in accidents as unacceptable and proposed creating a tourist transportation plan. For example, plugs, he said, represent a great loss of time when traveling, which, among other things, has an impact on productivity with direct effects on physical health due to noise and air pollution, and even causes psychological alterations that range from increased stress to aggressiveness, all of which also entail a high economic cost.
Alonso, director of the University Institute of Traffic and Road Safety at the University of Valencia, offered the conference “Mobility and Road Safety in the Dominican Tourism Sector: Situation and Opportunities.” He was invited to speak at the “Frank R. Rainieri Master Chair of Tourism” at the Universidad Central del Este, in Punta Cana. The conference is sponsored by the UCE, the Puntacana Group, and the University of Valencia.
Prior to the conference, the invited expert held a day of observation in the region for several days and a round of meetings with authorities and leaders of the municipality of Higüey and the Verón-Punta Cana Municipal District.
Additionally, and not as something secondary, he stated, improving mobility contributes to reducing emissions, and therefore to a better quality of the environment, the reduction of global warming, and consequently the health of people. He analyzed that traffic accidents occur due to the interaction of various causes, but above all due to the human factor; they are caused by different risk factors such as distractions, alcohol, drugs, etc.; they are mostly suffered by “risk groups” and “vulnerable users”, for whom special care must be taken.
Alonso stated that road safety, like transportation and mobility, is an interdisciplinary science, which has its evidence, which must be known and applied in order to be successful in its improvement. The experience in Spain, he said, from 1989 to the present, shows us that it is possible to reduce the numbers of deaths and injuries due to traffic accidents, and improve mobility by reducing travel times, with all the advantages that this entails. saving lives and saving money, for the State and its citizens.
The Dominican reality
Alonso carried out a diagnosis of the situation of mobility and road safety in the Dominican Republic, describing the mortality levels as “unacceptable”, results that he attributes to the lack of awareness and education of citizens. Also, to the deficiency in data to develop effective policies, preventing a correct evaluation of the measures and countermeasures that are put in place. He considered that there is still a lot of legislative development to be done, despite the fact that considerable progress has been made with the approval of Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transportation, Traffic and Road Safety, and many of its derived Technical Regulations and Regulations.
Alonso also referred to the existence of a deficit in the knowledge of the technicians who have to apply the measures; the lack of supervision and control; absence of a true regime of consequences; the almost non-existent urban planning, roads and traffic management; deficiency in public and intermodal transportation; lack of promotion of soft transport systems, and lack of intelligent transport systems.
Regarding Punta Cana, he said that he confirmed that there are many displacements, and many incidents and accidents accumulate, which are increasing, making displacement increasingly difficult due to the increase in tourist activity. Alonso warned that due to the negative impact that this may have on tourists, and the economic activity that results, it is necessary to intervene with some urgency and greater effectiveness, to improve the quality of life of tourists, workers, and citizens in general; allowing sustainable development and guaranteeing this important source of income for the present and the future.
Tourist transportation plan
Professor Alonso carried out an analysis of the opportunities for improvements, especially focused on the Verón-Punta Cana Municipal Tourist District and in Higuey, its head municipality. He proposed a series of concrete measures and countermeasures, and said that based on the results of the meetings he held prior to the conference with some important actors in the region, he believes they would have great support.
The first thing, he commented, which has already begun to a certain degree, is to promote an agreement between all the sectors involved, based on a commitment that brings together the private sector, the public sector, and civil society. He proposed starting with a Tourist Transportation Plan, which includes all aspects of mobility, land transportation, traffic, and road safety, with special attention to urban development, the different necessary infrastructures, which has a scientific basis and is therefore based on data, as well as that it is consequently susceptible to being evaluated.
Alonso urged the Puntacana Group, especially through its Foundation, to lead the support of all these actions, based on the corporate social responsibility that it has always displayed, to preserve the environment, and of course, those who live the same.
About Puntacana Group
Grupo Puntacana is a pioneer company in tourism and financial development that, more than 50 years ago, had the vision of developing a destination and a real estate community in a remote, isolated, and paradisiacal corner of the Dominican Republic. Through its sustainability initiatives and Corporate Social Responsibility programs, which have become a national and international benchmark, it promotes a business model that contributes to generating jobs, while promoting local culture and promoting care of the environment. environment.