Costa Rica Local News – For many travelers and locals alike the past week in Playa Jaco has been one of frustration if you are driving in this tourism based beach town on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. After driving to town to run errands or spend time at the beach more than a few people have come back to find a paring ticket placed under their windshield wiper.
A little over a month ago near Semana Santa; Jaco decided that it would paint paring spots and number them. Of course being that this was in Costa Rica they decided to do this during one of the busiest times of year for tourism.
That error in judgement was chalked up to the fact that the government makes dumb decisions in inopportune times. Although this was annoying it did not really cause any real problems or unrest from the local public. But now for most the stupidity has gone too far.
Although there are no signs directing people about this new law that is being put into effect the 4000 colon or about $8 parking tickets are piling up in Jaco and it is infuriating tourists and locals alike.
Let’s draw a scenario in your mind. You live in San Jose and you decide that you want to come to Jaco for a weekend of relaxation and the beach. You arrive in the morning and find a parking place on the main strip of Jaco to go in and grab a bite to eat at a local eatery. After eating for an hour and a half you return to find a parking ticket on your windshield. You look around and find no signs or notifications that you need to pay for parking. On the other side of the street is a local officer writing another ticket. You approach her and ask her about this fine you have just received. Her response “sorry I already wrote the ticket and you should have known.”
How? How should I have known? Should this information have just appeared in my head that I needed to go buy a parking ticket? That is the assumption of the local police writing the tickets.
This is not just effecting tourists more than one business owner and local business employee has been ticketed for parking in front of their own business or place of work.
To clear up the law for everyone this is the deal. You must go to one of the places below to purchase a parking ticket. They cost 400 colones per hour you plan to be parked.
After purchasing this you need to put in on your dash board to show the officers that are going around ticketing vehicles that you have paid.
This has a lot of the locals saying that this is hurting the tourism business in Jaco and the angry rumblings has resulted in an organized protest for Thursday, June 19th at 10 am in front of POPS and Los Amigos restaurant.
This protest is in hope that the local authorities revoke enforcing this law until they have a better way of implementing the logistics. This is another example of Costa Rica acting before thinking, let’s hope they are not stubborn and find a solution to this asinine current parking situation.
