On April 29th, 2016, public sector unions in Argentina organized a major protest event in Buenos Aires. The protests were centered around the Labour Ministry and gathered many thousands of people. The demonstrations, and the resulting security response caused a gridlock and sparked traffic chaos in the city center.
Three days before the events in Buenos Aires, SAFEY sent out information regarding the planned protests, including: location and expected impact. The advice given to travelers was to avoid the impact of the protests, this was sent to all app users in Argentina.
Events of this kind routinely necessitate road closures in central urban areas, and can cause public transport services such as buses and trams to be delayed, cancelled or redirected.
Keeping abreast of such events can mean the difference between getting to your destination on time, or spending an extra night in an unfamiliar city.
SAFEY’s advice to travelers is to:
- Remain aware for signs of increased tensions in your vicinity.
- Avoid all protests and large public gatherings due to potential for escalation.
- Be aware of the risk of traffic disruptions in your vicinity, so limit travel in the area, and seek alternate routes.
- Monitor local media outlets, and SAFEY regularly.
Peaceful demonstrations as a way of voicing dissent are an important cornerstone of any healthy, open society, but they can escalate. This can cause problems for travelers for whom a delay may mean a missed flight. SAFEY sends real-time alerts to users, in the case of protests, users are often informed a few days beforehand.