Rio Aware of Potential Paralympic Headaches

(ATR)Rio officials hope Cariocas plan travel to avoid clashes with Paralympic traffic disruptions.

During the Paralympic Games the city of Rio de Janeiro will feature road closures in Barra, Copacabana, Engenhao, and Maracana for events. There will be fewer public holidays than during the Olympics, and city schools will remain open. Officials have worked hard to ensure these disruptions do not overlap.

In addition to closings, the number of designated lanes for Para-athletes and family has been reduced. Organizers remain hopeful that motoristas remain patient during the Games and stay off the roads as much as possible.

"Our challenges for the Paralympics are very big so we are in the process of alerting the population," Rafael Picciani, executive secretary of government coordination, told reporters today.

"Without Paralympic lanes, it does not mean that you should get in your car to just drive around the city," he said.

Officials believe that the reduced scope of the Paralympic Games will play in their favor. Picciani expected the city of Rio to function like it did during the second half of the Olympics, when citizens adjusted to the Games-time traffic patterns.

For the Games the metro and bus-rapid transit lines will be running at full capacity. To accommodate spectators, the Jardim Oceanico station for line 4 will stay open until 1 am, allowing transfers to all stops on metro lines 1, 2, and 4. Metro line 4 will reopen on September 5 for those with Paralympiccredentials, and on September 7 for the general public.

Spectators will not need to purchase the special Olympic transit card to use line 4 during the Paralympics. Passengers must show proof of metro purchase and a Paralympic ticket to transfer to or enter the metro line.

Two special BRT lines will operate from Jardim Oceanico to the Olympic Park and from Recreito to Deodoro. Each line will be operational from 5 am to 1 am. Throughout the city accessible shuttles will connect parts of Copacabana, Deodoro, Lagoa, Marina da Gloria, and Maracana to existing BRT and metro lines.

"Accessibility is a challenge for any city in the world, and we have had major investments in this area," Picciani said.

"All of our main tourist attractions are totally accessible, and there are projects tackling accessibility everywhere in Rio. We know we have to improve to say we are totally accessible, but we have invested in transport, ensured all stations are accessible, and we hope this investment continues [after the Paralympics]."

Meanwhile, Picciani said that Rio 2016 has sold 1.1 million Paralympic tickets out of 2.4 million that will be available to the public. In addition to the ticket sold, the International Paralympic Committee and Rio 2016 are continuing a fundraising drive to buy tickets for Brazilian children.

So far, $20,000 has been raised in donations and the British band Coldplay contributed $25,000 to the cause. The aim is to raise $300,000 so a total of 10,000 tickets can be purchased through the initiative.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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