Carnival’s proposed bike lane for tourists in Puerto Plata splits locals
Carnival’s proposed bike lane for tourists in Puerto Plata splits locals Puerto Plata.- The cruise ship company Carnival’s proposal to «privatize» one lane of Puerto Plata’s Malecon (seaside boulevard) to make it safer for tourists on bicycles has split the locals. But despite that the City Council has yet to agree to the company’s road plan design that features a bicycle lane for foreigners who arrive from the cruise port at Maimon (Amber Cove) to the historic center, Puerto Plata mayor Walter Musa cites potential traffic jams if the project is approved. Quoted by elcaribe.com.do the official said the proposed route runs from Maimon zigzags through the street off the Malecon. «We’re saying that it’s not possible to make the lanes narrower, but we will work in a process.” Musa however agrees that the city must provide security for the tourists who’ll flock to Puerto Plata in just three months, so work needs to be done on the bicycle route. Proposal In addition to restrictions on heavy vehicles when tourists use the route, the Tourism Ministry builds an amphitheater at the Malecon’s tip and since Sunday the work to widen the road from Maimon advances, as tourists will start arriving October 6. Community mistrust A public hearing on the proposal at the Puerto Plata City Council was suspended because several council members were unaware of the initiative, which some citizens agree with on tourism development, despite opposition to the bicycle lane. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News