The traffic in Quito is unreal. Think 15-501 after a UNC men's basketball game. Then add about 5,000 pedestrians, another 10,000 cabs, and about 3,000 buses. And welcome to Quito! Luckily, last May, the municipal government implemented something called Pico y Placa.
PICO = basically rush hour traffic, when the traffic is super bad
PLACA = the last digit in everyone's license plate
So, Pico y Placa takes place Monday through Friday, from 7:00 to 9:30 in the morning and from 4:00 to 7:30 in the afternoon. During those hours, the drivers with Pico y Placa are not allowed to be driving in certain areas of the city, the busiest and most trafficky areas of the city. The day that you have Pico y Placa depends on the last digit of your license plate (placa). For example, on Mondays, people whose license plates end in 1 or 2 have Pico y Placa. On Tuesdays, those whose plates end in 3 or 4, and on and on.
I'm not sure how well it has worked in the last year because there still seems to be a ton of traffic, but maybe it's still an improvement from this time last year.
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