Anyone who travels the streets of Brazil knows the situation well: motorcycle drivers, whether working for companies or not, tend to set terrible examples of disrespecting basic rules of law. It is impossible to walk for 15 minutes in the city without seeing motorcyclists breaking red traffic lights, going the wrong way, exceeding speed limits or creating shortcuts over sidewalks.
It is not possible, of course, to generalize and we need to be careful with stigmas. Nor should taking sides with another urban plague, which is the abusive, idle and polluting use of cars to the detriment of , which is undoubtedly deficient, but has improved in recent decades and in many cases works. I say because I use it.
Traffic in São Paulo may not be the most undisciplined in the country, but it is far from more civilized standards.
It is difficult not to see a defeat on the part of public authorities in curbing the disaster and creating an environment of more education in traffic. In the absence of means and instruments capable of detecting the marathon of irregularities and recklessness by motorcyclists — which also occur on highways, such as the deadly one —, a certain chaos prevails.
In order not to be unfair to the city hall, a good idea has been implemented with positive results in recent years: the creation of blue lanes to direct and make the route of motorcycles on large avenues more predictable. In fact, we owe it to the government to grant the motorcycle manufacturers’ lobby the right for these vehicles to travel between lanes.
Although blue runners have , the statistics remain worrying. According to the city hall, the increase in accidents and deaths is proportional to that of the fleet, which has seen a 35% jump in the last ten years, going from 833 thousand in 2014 to 1.3 million in 2024. The number of fatalities.
The challenge is national. In 25 years, the motorcycle fleet grew by 983% in the country, and the number of motorcyclists killed per year increased by 977%. In the state of São Paulo, with 2,089 victims in the year.
The increase contrasts with the general number of vehicles, which is on a declining trend. From 2015 to 2021, there was a successive drop in deaths. In 2022 there was an increase, but in 2023 the .
We are now witnessing a dispute between the city hall and app companies over the exploitation of the motorcycle taxi service despite contrary regulations in force in the city. A recent decision by a judge denied the management’s request for () to , considering the municipal decree unconstitutional. The companies argue that federal legislation would prevent the veto and cite the decision on the subject. And they point to reduced numbers of accidents on their trips.
I am unable to give my opinion on the legal controversy, but common sense suggests that this type of paid transport requires at least strict restrictions. The multiplication of motorcycle taxis in a city like São Paulo may represent a greater risk than any economic and mobility gains.
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