City ordinance to restrict motorcycles to two riders being prepared for a second debate

Cuenca Interim Mayor Marisol Peñaloza has ordered the resumption of debate of an ordinance that would limit the number of young male occupants on motorcycles to one. The issue was first debated in 2023 but was shelved for “technical and legal” reasons.

A proposal to ban a second male motorcycle rider has been stalled since 2023.

“This proposal should never have been dropped since it is important for the safety of our citizens,” Peñaloza said. “The issues causing the delay should have been resolved quickly but they were not and now we will work quickly toward adopting new rules.”

A second debate on the ordinance is scheduled for Friday.

According to Peñaloza, Cuenca is one of the safest cities in Ecuador, but crimes committed by two men on motorcycles, especially robberies, are the “most prevalent.”

The original proposal to limit the number of male riders was introduced by Municipal Councilman Xavier Bermúdez in June 2023 and was approved in the first debate two months later. Bermúdez currently serves as governor of Azuay Province.

Vicente Riera, a former National Police sergeant and advisor to the council says restricting the number of riders on motorcycle is critical for crime prevention in Cuenca but it must be “enacted with great care” and exceptions must apply. “It should not apply, for example, to family members, women and children, or to the disabled and the elderly,” he says.

“We are talking, essentially, about restricting two young men on motorcycles since this is the arrangement under which many crimes are committed,” Riera says.

An ordinance must also be coordinated with National and Transit Police and possibly with military intelligence, Riera adds. “First, there must be immediate police response for violations, and this involves the 911 services that monitor security cameras,” he says.

Under the current proposal, the ordinance would confiscate motorcycles for seven days in case of violations and 15 days for a second violation. There would be additional penalties for operators without valid driver’s licenses and plates and those possessing weapons and illegal drugs.

Lenín Guzmán, manager of the Cuenca transportation office, EMOV, says that a municipal ordinance must “coordinate” with national motorcycle rider rules adopted by the National Transit Agency in 2022.