Ivan Duque agrees with barbeque restriction in Bogotá

The President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, referred to the restrictions on motorcycles imposed by the Mayor's Office of Bogotá, headed by Claudia López Hernández; specifically, he mentioned the restriction of the barbecue or duck at night during the weekends.

From the Signal de la Mañana program of the state network RTVC, Duque assured that the restrictive measure has been useful in limiting certain threats in some cities. However, “with the decanting of time it begins to become a tedious measure for many people”. Then, he warned that it cannot become a permanent measure.

Duque then mentioned that the riskiest hours in cities are between midnight and dawn, “which are not regularly times where many families who use the motorcycle as a vehicle travel”, bearing in mind that the restriction proposed by López runs from Thursday to Sunday from seven in the evening to four in the morning.

With regard to measures such as wearing clothing with the motorcycle plate, such as helmets and vests, Duque stated that he understood the discomfort of certain sectors of the population, but that he expects from the López mayor's office and good pedagogy exercise on the scope of these and other measures.

On the other hand, Duque assured that during his administration the security of the capital has been efficiently managed. He mentioned that four thousand police officers were added to the Bogotá force, “which makes us the government that has added the most public forces to the city.” He also says that intelligence work and presence by quadrants have increased.

The president assured that López's measures, which were reached after the Security Council in Ciudad Bolivar after the attack that left two minors dead, may be controversial, but he insisted that pedagogy is necessary to understand the scope and duration of these decisions and that with that he will receive the support of the national Government.

On the barbecue measure, Mayor Claudia López commented that murders and robberies are not done on “skateboards or bicycles” in the city, and highlighted that one in ten robberies are committed on motorcycles. Therefore, he pointed out the importance of wearing their respective reflectives and helmets with a legible plate, so that they can be identified.

On the exceptions he said that motorcyclists carrying people with disabilities, insurers — such as the services of chosen drivers — and those responsible for public and private safety and security will be able to travel without any restrictions. He also stressed that any type of emergency can be exempt but must be properly identified.

López also pointed out that the measures are not taken to affect motorcycle drivers or stigmatize them, but to ensure the safety of the capital. He also added that the National Police was stipulating that motorcycles should be restricted from 6 pm, but the district refused considering the welfare of citizens who use this mode of transport.

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