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Tijuca National Park and City Hall make it more flexible for vehicles to return to Estrada Dona Castorina
Published on 03/12/2021 - 19:40 | Updated
Signage at the entrance to Tijuca National Park - Disclosure / Rio City Hall The City of Rio, through CET-Rio and the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, informs that it will provide support to the Tijuca National Park for the return of car and motorcycle circulation on Estrada Dona Castorina, starting on Monday (06/12), from 9 am to 17 pm, on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, circulation will be exclusive to pedestrians and cyclists.
The road is an internal road of the Tijuca National Park, located in the Serra da Carioca sector. The reopening will have the operational support of the city of Rio, with the installation of road signs by CET-Rio.
Cars and motorcycles, with the exception of large motor vehicles such as trucks, will be allowed to circulate from 9 am to 17 pm on weekdays.
CET-Rio is providing signage for the area. Signs are being installed at the access points to the road inside the park, between the intersection with Rua Pacheco Leão, in Horto, and the intersection with Estrada de Furnas, in Alto da Boa Vista. In addition, the company is using banners to warn drivers about the need to be careful when driving along Dona Castorina. Traffic signs are being installed to inform that trucks are prohibited from driving. The speed limit inside the park is up to 30 km/h.
In March 2020, all internal roads in Tijuca National Park were closed due to restrictive measures imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This closure affected Dona Castorina. It is through this road that tourists and residents access famous tourist attractions in Rio, such as Vista Chinesa, Mesa do Imperador and some waterfalls in Horto.
With the easing of measures and the progress of vaccination, the park reopened some of its roads to vehicles, but kept others restricted, such as Dona Castorina. Maintaining the restrictions was necessary for two main reasons. The first was to prevent access by large groups of people during the critical period of the pandemic and, consequently, reduce the chances of crowding. The second was so that the park's native animals could readapt to human presence. During the closure caused by the pandemic, the animals returned to circulate through the park's roads more frequently.
The park is only open on weekdays because, historically, car traffic is much lower compared to weekends and holidays, when the number of cyclists and pedestrians in the park tends to increase.
The park emphasizes that this authorization will be monitored periodically and will make adjustments if necessary.
About the other roads in the Park
Tijuca National Park reminds you that the circulation of motorized vehicles remains prohibited on the following roads within the Conservation Unit:
– All roads in the Floresta sector, popularly known as Floresta da Tijuca, in Alto da Boa Vista. These roads are only accessible to cars of elderly people and people with disabilities who have a parking card or sticker issued by the city government;
– The Redentor road, which runs between Boa Vista street, in Alto, and the Paineiras Visitor Center;
– The Sumaré road, which is between the Redentor road and Del Vecchio square, in Rio Comprido.
The park has held discussions and held consultations with civil society and thematic chambers about the future of road closures to cars and motorcycles. Although the park has the autonomy to make this decision based on the objectives of the Conservation Unit, it is important to listen to and analyze the opinions of its visitors.
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