By Wendy Anders

While business owners, legislators, and government offices alike consider a host of measures to alleviate commute times and its stress on workers and families, the vehicles keep pouring in.

Car imports for the first five months of the year are up 26 percent over last year’s same time-frame as reported today by CentralAmericaData.com.

And car sales in March, as reported in The Costa Rica Star, were up 25 percent.

Of the over 35,000 vehicles arriving this year, 72 percent were new cars. Costa Rica also imported 32,000 new motorcycles from January through May, reported Central America Data.

Meanwhile, the country’s State of the Nation, an annual independent research analysis, estimates that traffic-related problems eats up an estimated 2.8 percent of the country’s productivity. The State of the Nation estimates that the country’s vehicular float is seven times larger than it was 30 years ago, all of which use roads that have seen little improvement or expansion since that time.

Allan Sime, commercial director of Purdy Motor Costa Rica, said in a press statement “The demand for new cars had been constant and this has been helped by attractive bank credit.”

The Ministry of Health announced last week they will implement telecommuting for their administrative employees who meet the criteria for working from home or outside the office. A decree outlining the change for the Ministry was published in the government legal bulletin La Gaceta last Tuesday.

And on a more practical note, the Union of Private Businesses and Chambers of Commerce (UCCAEP) has teamed up with mass media to publish a series of specific recommendations for businesses to help their workers enjoy smoother commutes.

El Financiero, Costa Rica’s business weekly, reported today details on alternatives such as carpooling, company transportation in vans, modifying work hours, walking or bike riding, and telecommuting. They also proposed a goal-based work model involving flexible work hours built around workers’ specific goals, that may be better met outside the office or outside regular office hours, thus alleviating pressure on roads during peak times.