Itamambuca Beach, Ubatuba, SP BRL 2023 photo by Pedro Diaz
We will investigate a place called Ubatuba, known for hundreds of beaches and home to World Surf League champion Felipe Toledo. What does it take for this city to accommodate a multitude of visitors? Ubatuba, with a population of around 92 thousand, is popular with middle-class Brazil on the north coast of Sao Paulo. The coastal town will have to work overtime to accommodate 1,5 million visitors in Praia Grande in the Christmas & New Year holidays, which is just one of the many beaches it offers. The north coast of Sao Paulo expects up to 5 million visitors this summer.
Three necessary pieces of information to enjoy your summer vacation to the fullest on the north coast are 1. Traffic, 2. Safety, 3. Waste.
How to avoid traffic?
Wake up early, you will have an early start to your day, and you will beat everyone to the best spot on the beach. The best option is a bicycle that’s how locals get around. The next best option is a small car or motorcycle. If you are stuck in traffic, remember Brazil is a vast country and there is space for everyone stay patient there’s space for you, your friends, and your family at the beach. The image below illustrates a typical traffic flow for a Saturday afternoon in Ubatuba.
Image 2.0 Traffic Flow Average day
Below is live traffic, and today is Saturday, 1/07/2023
Image 3.0 Traffic High Season
You can tell that Praia Grande and Itagua turn into bottleneck areas, and traffic occurs. The big problem is that many pedestrians cross back and forth in Praia Grande. Part of the solution is pedestrian bridges to solve the pain point. Leaving Ubatuba on Sunday afternoon is a mistake and a hellish traffic experience.
In addition, the BR 101 Rio Santos is undergoing paving recovery improvements at various points along the route to the capital of Rio de Janeiro. In Ubatuba, the works for applying asphaltic micro-surfacing will take place from km 52.1 to km 8, with a completion forecast for January 10th, 2023.
How to stay safe?
1st, don’t drink too much, which is easier said than done on vacations.
The State of Sao Paulo will have Operation Verão (Summer) +(Safe) Seguro will be carried out in two stages, December 22, to January 30, 2022 and the second, from January 31 to March 6, 2022. The actions cover Baixada Santista, North Coast and Litoral Sul (in Vale do Ribeira). The municipalities covered are: Guarujá, Santos, São Vicente, Praia Grande, Iguape, Cananéia, Peruíbe, Ilha Comprida, Itanhaém, Mongaguá, Cubatão, Bertioga, Ilhabela, São Sebastião, Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba. All 16 cities have the reinforcement of teams from the Highway Policing Command (CPRv), Fire Department (CCB), Traffic Policing (CPTran), Environmental Policing (CPAmb), Shock Policing (CPChq) and Aviation (CavPM) .
2,939 military police are committed to reinforcing patrols in coastal cities, with 2,327 in Baixada Santista and 612 on the North Coast. Part of this force is made up of 1,838 soldiers trained on the 17th. To carry out the activities, the MPs have the support of 270 vehicles, 74 vessels, five aircraft and 25 drones. The Civil Police also participate in the operation and has full force committed to the streets, police stations, and investigative actions.
Please don’t drink and drive, which seems part of many cultures in many countries (USA, MEX), not just Brazil. Please don’t go into the ocean after drinking much alcohol, especially at night. Take lock your car don’t leave any belongings visible to eye.
Who is going to pick up the waste?
SANEVAP Saneamento Ambiental offers the public and private sector modern solutions in sanitation, urban cleaning and waste management. The City Hall of Ubatuba reinforces that Sanepav will double the staff for the services in the 2022/2023 season. Summer season is on December 19th and will remain until March 1st, 2023, the company informs that in low season there are eight trucks, 48 collectors and 16 drivers. And for this summer season and the new collection schedule, 98 collectors will be working, 32 drivers with 17 trucks.
In addition, we have independent recycling companies around the city, like Boomerang recycling, which collects, separates, and bales recycling materials here in Ubatuba. There also people of collect aluminum cans around the city. Please separate your organic waste from your recyclables in different bags.
Company Basic Sanitation do Estado de São Paulo S.A (SABESP) is preparing a series of actions to serve residents and tourists along the entire coast of São Paulo during the high season. On the North Coast, which should receive nearly triple the number of visitors over the next three months, Sabesp is carrying out a series of actions to ensure water security and the entire functioning of the sewage infrastructure. R$ 34 million were invested in actions aimed at more excellent reliability in the region’s water supply and sewage collection services. In addition to this equipment, the population will be able to count on 58 power generators, 9 tank trucks and 14 trucks for cleaning and unblocking sewage networks.
Most important, pick up after yourself! Please separate your organic waste from your recyclables. Dispose of your cigarette buds correctly don’t just toss them on the floor. We should all be thinking of zero-waste and recycling and reusing everything. Have fun but respect your environment. Use sunblock and drink a lot of water, and you will be ok.
Cultural Broker 