Santo Domingo.- The streets of Santo Domingo and other major cities have become vehicle jungles, were reckless driving and suffocating jams undermine the patience and joy Dominicans are known for.

The gases which vehicles spew pollute the atmosphere and make the air hard to breathe, while respiratory diseases are on the rise.

It also increases fuel consumption, personal and family costs, and the quality of life progressively declines, but the vehicles increasingly crowd the narrow streets and avenues, raising the probabilities of dying in a traffic accident.

The Web site www.rd77.com lists those reasons to make the Government aware that it must provide alternatives to travel within a city, and suggests routes for pedestrians and bicycles.

But the same difficulties convert driving into a reckless task. It’s for that reason that the government must include the Pedestrian and Bicycle Corridor in their projects," it said. "Underneath the overpasses is an ideal space for pedestrians and bicycle corridors. We put it in the hands of any government to make this concern a reality.”

It adds that many richer and more developed countries than ours use the bicycle as means of transport to respect the environment. “It’s high time for our city to stop being an inhospitable jungle.”