Motorcycles. Everywhere, in the center and the neighbourhoods, from dawn until dawn. Most are of low to moderate displacement, and there are more and more of them, increasingly prominent in daily life in La Plata and its many hardships. Because of the large number of acquisitions and patents, because of the recklessness of many of its drivers, because of the boom in home delivery platforms… because of the accidents it is exposed to and their fatal consequences. This year, to crown an unfortunate gift, the Hells Angels and their original counterparts, the Tehuelches, showed up unexpectedly, with a weekend of giddiness and tension, including a shootout. The question that arises is: How does a city like ours prepare to prevent, direct, control, and ultimately reverse this phenomenon?
The reality is that La Plata’s vehicle fleet as a whole has seen sustained expansion for more than a decade, which is beginning to overwhelm the city’s capacity to accommodate it. Although official statistics are rare, the most consistent estimates suggest that in recent years, La Plata has doubled its total number of vehicles, rising from about 240,000 vehicles in 2012 to nearly 470,000 today.
Within this general leap, there is of course the undisputed protagonist: motorcycles, the segment that has achieved the greatest relative growth. In the period when the park’s total grew by about 150%, motorcycles increased by between 300% and 350%. In 2006 there were about 23,000 registered; Today the city is close to 100 thousand. In practice, one in five vehicles in the local park is a motorcycle, a profound change in the regional mobility matrix.
Behind the explosion
Analysts agree that this phenomenon has multiple causes. The economic dimension is fundamental: in the face of the high cost of public transportation and the continuous increase in new and used cars, the motorcycle has proven itself as an extremely affordable option for workers in popular neighborhoods and young people. The financing programs promoted by the sector – which offered purchases in 12 or 18 installments – have reinforced this trend, as has the accelerated growth of delivery applications, whose logistics model is based on this type of vehicle.
On another level, the expansion of La Plata towards its surroundings (Jurina Hernández, Melchor Romero, Lisandro Olmos, Echeverri, Villa Elvira, Ciccardi Garibaldi) has led to a multiplication of long journeys, especially for work and educational reasons, to the established center, in the context of inadequate infrastructure for cyclists and poor performance of public transport. For thousands of users, the motorcycle ended up occupying the middle space between the bicycle and the car: faster than the former, cheaper than the latter, with greater autonomy than the former and easier parking than the latter.
If compared with other large urban centers in the province, the city appears in the top three centers of motorcycle growth in the last ten years: it has overtaken Bahía Blanca and is almost on par with Lomas de Zamora. Even Mar del Plata, which has a similar overall park base, has grown less.
Noise, crowding and conflict
At night, two-wheeled caravans generate noise that has become a frequent urban stress factor, especially in urban areas, and on the streets they cause complex risks: they occupy traffic lanes, drive in the wrong direction, generate their own dynamics and expose tensions with pedestrians, cars and public transport.
The spread of these young people informally, and the use of motorcycles without documents or helmets – a constant highlighted by official operations – further exacerbates the situation. Also the absence of specific infrastructure: La Plata has practically no organized parking for motorcycles, no special lanes, and hardly defines a comprehensive policy in the area.
Possible answers
The indicators coincide: the city is witnessing a growth in the motorcycle fleet, which affects coexistence, road safety and quality of life. The upcoming discussion aims to implement policies that regulate their existence: from more consistent controls to street redesign, security campaigns, dedicated parking and real integration with public transportation.
Along these lines, Pedro Perrota, from the NGO Corazon Azules, Master of Public Policy, emphasizes that “with a vehicle fleet representing one vehicle for every 2.43 people, and nearly 70,000 motorcycles in circulation, the continuing increase in the use of motorcycles is beginning to show alarming effects on accidents in urban areas. Measures must be implemented to address a phenomenon that already accounts for 60% of deaths.”
“The motorcycle is an increasingly practical, economical and chosen mode of transportation,” the leader explains, but warns that “the current urban infrastructure is not prepared to take care of those who choose this mode of transportation.” In their view, accidents are sought to be reduced through “specific infrastructure, smart controls, mandatory training and awareness campaigns.”
The proposed strategy includes opening preferential lanes for motorcycles (on roads such as 7, 13, 44, 72, 122, 520 and Circonvalacion); Stop boxes at traffic lights; Re-arranging priorities and directions to reduce conflict points; Reducing the maximum speed in urban areas to 30 km/h.
Regarding education, he is betting on reforming the licensing system – with more stringent tests and real maneuvers -; Strengthening mandatory training, through internships in municipal departments; Encouraging the use of helmets, reflective vests and other approved protective elements, while providing economic facilities and incentives; Implementing effective educational campaigns and free training programs in neighborhoods and technical schools.
Finally, in the field of controls, Perrotta, who holds a certificate in citizen security, confirms the presence of cameras that monitor violations in real time and issue “smart photo fines,” and breathalyzer devices in all night corridors; Recidivism record for drivers; And daily controls for helmet, lights, speed, leaves and free flight.
“We are not facing statistical data,” says Corazon Azules, president of the organization. “We are facing families destroyed, lives lost. Although it is not easy, we must be able to change habits.”
Gradual deterioration
So far in the 21st century, La Plata has become one of the cities with the largest automated expansion in the province. The convergence of economic factors – price, financing, maintenance and fuel costs – the population of remote areas, and new – often precarious – sources of work such as delivery, are pushing thousands of people towards the motorcycle as the only viable alternative.
This generates an often uncontrollable urban dynamic. The “big bang” has been rapid, and public policies are struggling to catch up with little success.
The massive emergence of microvehicles in La Plata reveals a gap between mobility needs and resources and the state’s ability to enforce order. The question is whether this problem can be addressed before the deterioration becomes irreversible.