Minute by minute: Blockades continue in the country due to truckers’ strike

This Tuesday, September 3, the protests called by the truckers’ union will continue throughout the country. In the case of Bogotá, there have been intense days, which have hindered traffic on several roads in the capital of the country.

So far, a possible dialogue and a favorable conclusion are expected between the transporters’ union and the Ministry of Transport. The head of the said portfolio, María Constanza García, has reiterated that the Government has always been open to dialogue with the different sectors.

Given the critical situation, the Mayor’s Office of Chía confirmed that there will be no classes in public schools in this municipality on Tuesday. A crisis that the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) was quick to comment on, reminding transporters that “the rights of girls and boys prevail over the rights of others“.

Minute by minute

09:30 am: Ministry of Mines and Energy invites protesters to talk, but to avoid roadblocks

According to the head of the portfolio, Andrés Camacho, the price of diesel has been frozen for five years and was already “adjustments need to be made“He also said that the government is willing to engage in dialogue with the transport union, but he invited the protesters to guarantee the freedoms of other citizens.

09:00 am: Carlos Fernando Galán spoke out

The mayor of Bogotá announced that there are five points with critical mobility due to the blockades of the truckers’ strike.
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– Suba Portal

– Boyacá Avenue with 16D race

– Seventh Avenue with 171st Street

– Mills – Caracas Avenue

– Via al Llano
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​“As a result of these blockages, there are more than 300 thousand users of the TransMilenio system affected, especially in Usme, Ciudad Bolívar, Rafael Uribe and Suba. The average delay time is 2 hours.“, added Galan.

8:52 am: Blockade activated on the Bogotá-La Vega highway at kilometer 1

A traffic jam is generated on the 80th Street corridor towards the west.

8:40 am: Update of points of the cargo vehicle demonstration in Bogotá

Blockages persist on the following sites:

– Calle 80 – Puente de Guadua: Due to blockage in the Puente de Guadua sector, dual service L81 makes returns at Portal 80-

– Carrera 7 with Calle 172: Blockade continues at this point. Detours to feeder route 2-4 El Codito.

– Suba Avenue with Ciudad de Cali Avenue: Tourist buses remain blocked. Dual route CM 84 makes returns at Portal Suba. Food service at Portal Suba cancelled

– Molinos Sector: There are still delays on Calle 40 Sur. The Santa Lucía, Consuelo, Socorro, Molinos and Portal Usme stations are closed.

– Boyacá Avenue from 65th Street South to 15th Street South: Detours continue for zonal routes and for the feeder routes of Portal Tunal

08:30 am: Bus routes cancelled in Usme

Due to demonstrations, routes HF718, HD717, HH719, HA720, HA725, HH726, HK724, HK721, HL723 are cancelled.

8:30 am: Food merchants are worried about truckers’ strike

According to food traders, the closure of the roads has meant that the goods cannot reach their destinations. The trade union has expressed concern that products such as cold meats, fruits and vegetables could be damaged by being inside the trucks for so long.
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The most affected corridors in the country are the highway to Llano and all the roads that connect Santander, Norte de Santander and the Caribbean Coast.

07:45 am Protests on the Pan-American Highway in Nariño

At this time, three blockades have been reported in the department of Nariño, in the south of the country. The demonstrations are taking place in the section known as Los Chilcos on the road from Ipiales to Pasto; in the section from Pasto to Mojarras, and on the Pasto – Mojarras road, at kilometer 80.

07:28 am SITP buses in Bogotá are 120 minutes late

The city’s public transport system reports that the number of affected users has increased to 306,655 and the zonal routes (SITP) show a delay of 120 minutes due to truckers’ blockades.

07:25 am: More TransMilenio users affected by blockades

– Affected routes: 24 feeders, 12 trunks and 70 zonal routes

– Affected bus stops: 500

– Affected users: 306,655

– Delays on zonal routes (average): 120 minutes

– Affected areas: Usme, Ciudad Bolivar, Rafael Uribe and Suba.

7:25 am: Dozens of Bogota residents have had to walk to work after roadblocks

This Tuesday morning, dozens of workers and students have had to walk to reach their destinations due to the protests that blocked the main roads of the city.

7:15 am: Five main roads in Valledupar are blocked

Since 5:00 am this Tuesday, the dual carriageway connecting Valledupar with Bosconia (Cesar), Glorieta La Paz, Club Valledupar, the road to the Transport Terminal and the entrance to the Alfonso López airport in the capital of Cesar have been blocked.

Voices from this union point out that another reason for this protest is the uncontrolled increase in informal and illegal transportation in the city.

07:05 am: Blockades continue on the road to Llano

The road closure continues in both directions at K0+000 Uval and K85+400 Llano Lindo due to a demonstration by transporters. Crossing is enabled at K35+000 in the El Tablón sector, according to Coviandina.

07:00 am: 226,655 TransMilenio users affected

The TransMilenio system reports:
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– Affected routes: 24 feeders, 12 trunks and 70 zonal routes

– Affected bus stops: 500

– Affected users: 226,655

– Delays on zonal routes (Average): 60 minutes

– Affected areas: Usme, Ciudad Bolivar, Rafael Uribe and Suba.

06:30 am: TransMilenio continues to be affected in Bogotá

Blockages persist on the following sites:

– Suba Avenue with Ciudad de Cali Avenue

– Mills Sector

– Boyacá Avenue from 65th Street South to 15th Street South

Tourist buses blockade. Dual route CM 84 makes returns at Portal Suba. Food supply at Portal Suba cancelled

There are still delays on Calle 40 Sur. The Santa Lucía, Consuelo, Socorro, Molinos and Portal Usme stations are closed.

Detours continue for zonal routes and for the feeder routes of the Tunal Portal

6:30 am: Blockades on the Caribbean Coast

At this time, there are at least four blockades in the department of Cesar. Authorities report that the Valledupar transport terminal is affected by the protests of freight transport drivers.
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A unified command post will be set up in the department to monitor the blockades.

6:20 am: Boyacá roads blocked at dawn

The manager of the Tunja Transport Terminal said that there was a large cancellation of inter-municipal transport services to destinations such as Bogotá, Santander and the north of the country.

5:58 am: Report of main roads in Bogotá affected

The District Mobility Secretariat stated that there are effects in the following corridors:

– Av. Boyacá (street 71B south) with race 16B.

– Via al Llano kilometer 0.

– Av. Caracas (51st Street South) with 9th Avenue.

– Av. Cali with Av. Suba.

05:10 am: Impact and chaos in Suba

On Avenida Suba with Avenida Ciudad de Cali, tourist buses are blocking the dual routes and feeders of the Suba Portal.
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CM 84 dual route returns at Portal Suba. Feeding cancelled at Portal Suba.

05:05 am: TransMilenio stations close

There are currently blockades in the Molinos sector and the TransMilenio stations are closed: Santa Lucía, Consuelo, Socorro, Molinos and Portal Usme.
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There are detours for zonal and feeder routes at Portal Tunal due to blockages on Avenida Boyacá from Calle 65 Sur to Carrera 15 Sur.

05:00 am: Truckers blockade in the south of Bogotá

Protesters make their presence felt and block Av Boyacá (Calle 71 B Sur) x Kr 16D in both directions.

03:42 am: Closure continues on the road to Llano

Coviandina reports that the road closure in both directions at K0+000 Uval and K85+400 Llano Lindo continues to be blocked by the demonstration.