How bad is it driving in Puerto Rico -- really?

I'll be visiting Puerto Rico before and after my cruise in November.

I plan to rent a car for both visits.

I have seen some scare stories about how awful it is to drive in San Juan.

I was there 20 years ago, but someone else drove, and it didn't seem too bad.

I figured I might as well ask, as 20 years is a long time.

I'm a man in my 40s who can best be described as an "aggressive" driver. Will I be okay in San Juan? I only mention the "aggressive" part and my age just so you guys will know that I'm not one of those 80 year old drivers in the slow lane. I can handle some moderate craziness on the road, as long as it's not TOO crazy or dangerous.

I plan to drive to El Yunque, as well as other locations on the island which I have not decided upon yet.

Also, how much does it cost to park in Old San Juan?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

You are from LA, so you drive in traffic?

You'll be fine.

Puerto Rico is hard for people not used to driving in traffic- which can be really bad. Bad as in heavy.

The one "new" thing you may note- a lot of slow drivers in the left lane. Slow as in below the speed limit in the left lane. This is rooted in historical poor road maintenance, where the right lane is constantly in really bad shape- so people drive on the left. (You can still see this on the Autopista more along the route to and from Ponce in the south)

This has also resulted in the aggressive drivers being more aggressive- which would take many off guard, but I suspect you will be ok.

Don't stop for cars being broken down- like other areas of the US- that can be a trick. Let a tow truck or the police deal with them.

And it's not gotten worse since '94. Some of the new roads make it better. Otherwise, it's exactly the same.

Driving in San Juan and outside into the island is not bad. Sure, inside SJ, it is like any other big metropolitan area. I drove myself around back this past Spring. Google Maps was my friend.

There is a nice toll expressway from San Juan to get you to El Yunque. It went as far as Rio Grande (where my hotel was). The "old road", Hwy 3, meets up there and you take that the rest of the way. I drove that old road a few times from the hotel - it isn't any worse than any roads I drove in rural parts of the US (like between Savannah and Hilton Head, through South Central Pennsylvania, through anywhere in Utah or Wyoming...)

I'll be visiting Puerto Rico before and after my cruise in November.

 

I plan to rent a car for both visits.

 

I have seen some scare stories about how awful it is to drive in San Juan.

 

I was there 20 years ago, but someone else drove, and it didn't seem too bad.

 

I figured I might as well ask, as 20 years is a long time.

 

I'm a man in my 40s who can best be described as an "aggressive" driver. Will I be okay in San Juan? I only mention the "aggressive" part and my age just so you guys will know that I'm not one of those 80 year old drivers in the slow lane. I can handle some moderate craziness on the road, as long as it's not TOO crazy or dangerous.

 

I plan to drive to El Yunque, as well as other locations on the island which I have not decided upon yet.

 

Also, how much does it cost to park in Old San Juan?

 

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Don't sweat it. You will be fine. Driving in San Juan is like any other

major city although it can be challenging at times. Once you get out of

the metro areas, it's pretty easy. I haven't been out on the Island in

5 years but then it seemed a little more tame than previous years. Things

like, don't signal. It's a sign of weakness and they will cut you off. Or,

use the shoulder as a lane during rush hour like everyone else does.

Just seemed a little better. But then again, maybe I was used to it.

Hopefully, the following still holds true. Don't know if changes have

taken place in the roads. Maybe one of the locals can give more guidance.

If you are going to El Yunque, I stayed off HWY 26 to HWY 3.

Was always lots of truck traffic and traffic lights. I like to take HWY 26

and get off in Isla Verde. Go on Isla Verde Ave to 187. Nice scenic route near the water.

Goes through Pinones where you can stop for refreshments at

one of the Kiosks. Then go all the way up and make a right on 188. Takes

you through Canovanas and Loiza right down to HWY 3. Make a left onto HWY 3

and follow 3 to El Yunque.

Parking prices in Old San Juan is not bad. Parking is.

Here is a website that lists the parking lots along with prices.

http://www.sanjuanpuertorico.com/parking-in-old-san-juan

I have always found something in the lots. Maybe a few dollars depending

on the time used.

Have a great time. Get out of San Juan and see the island.

If you drive in LA traffic you won't break a sweat in PR. Traffic signs are basically the same as the States since they are federal-mandated. The only thing is they are 99% in Spanish. Just remember Este=east, Oeste=west, norte=north, sur=south. Other than that, most roads are well identified as well as exits. Like another poster said, Google maps is your friend.

Make sure you get a car that has the Autoexpreso sticker for the unmanned tolls now found on all major expressways. If you want a straight shot to El Yunque, take road 26 east out of Isla Verde and into expressway 66 east, then Rd. 3 east to the exit to El Yunque. Like another poster also mentioned, Rd. 187 is the scenic route along the coast and the first half is lined with great, local food stands and restaurants. Take Rd. 187 east and turn right into 188 south until you reach Rd 3 where you turn left to El Yunque.

Parking in OSJ is very limited, especially during the day and your best bet is one of the few multi-level parking garages. There are two located right in front of el Morro near Ballaja, one single-level, open air lot at Paseo de la Princesa and three others (two of them located just a block from the piers). Rates run about $1.25-2.00 for the base rate, $0.50-1.00 for each additional hour or fraction.

I agree with the others that if you are an "aggressive driver" used to driving in LA you should be ok in Puerto Rico. I have lived in DC and Boston and currently live here and I am willing to drive anywhere here, although I prefer not to drive the mountain roads. The most important thing when driving in PR is to remember that people may not behave as you expect they would. Speed limits are not enforced either direction so someone my be going way above in the right lane and someone going way below in the left. Cutting across multiple lanes of traffic rapidly to not miss an exit, or even backing up on the highway to get to said exit are acceptable. I was out today, thinking about this message, and smiled when I saw a car, on a four lane road with businesses on both sides, parked in the right travel lane (not the breakdown lane) but facing the wrong direction. Lady needed to go to the bank so this is what she did. People just drove around her parked car.

Also, potholes can be a big issue so watch out for them, and for people swerving to avoid them. The roads in the mountains tend to be narrow and don't necessarily have guard rails, so I make my husband drive when we go there:).

A couple other important road signs for those who don't speak Spanish are: Salida = exit, Proxima salida = next exit (and there may not be a "salida" sign when you get there), Calle sin Salida = Dead end.

A few other random thoughts: emergency vehicles tend to drive with their lights on at all times. . .as do school and party busses. So, if you see police lights it does not often mean they are pulling you over (that is what the audible siren is for). I have heard what sounds like police/fire sirens coming out of private vehicles.

If I were coming to Puerto Rico for a few days I would definitely rent a car, get out of the city and explore all the fantastic things Puerto Rico has to offer. It is a beautiful island and it makes me sad that all some know if it are Old San Juan and the beaches and hotels of Condado (as great as those things are). I would simply advise to use caution when out and about and not expect the drivers to be like those in the states nor expect the traffic laws to be enforced like they are in the states.

I haven't been to PR yet, but don't look forward to driving there, and we were from CA. We might change our minds after going on this next cruise and see with our own eyes. I did watch this video that was rather entertaining to say the least.

I haven't been to PR yet, but don't look forward to driving there, and we were from CA. We might change our minds after going on this next cruise and see with our own eyes. I did watch this video that was rather entertaining to say the least.

or google it" what I learned driving in PR"

That so overstates what actually happens. I know he says he's been there for a week, but it's more like- here's a few incidents that have really aggravated me, and assume they are normal.

It's not nearly that bad.

Yes, people will "merge" out in front of you. Sometimes it's because someone is rude, more often is that the drivers tend to let people in.

I'm no native like some posters, but we travel there a lot. And I've driven many times between San Juan and Ponce to know the road quite well. There are just as rude drivers in various locations around the US. Or just as clueless.

Hi I am not an aggressive driver and found driving in Puerto Rico was just fine. The one thing I would suggest would be the insurance with the rental company. When I am in the states I don't use it because my car insurance and credit card would cover but when I rented a car in Puerto Rico I decided to get it and I'm glad I did. We were driving down to the Bio Bay and hit one of those potholes. Wow they aren't kidding. When I got out to check the car there was a bubble on one of the tires. I carefully drove the car back to the airport where I rented it and exchanged it for another car. Since I had the insurance there was no questions asked and we were back on our way in minutes.

I'm a very "careful" and "well-aware" of my surroundings type of driver. We just returned several weeks ago and rented a car and drove from the airport all the way to Fajardo and around that area. Went out several times to places and then drove to Luquillo Beach, then to Isla Verde and then around on the opposite side of the airport (not sure the name). We didn't have any problems (and this was during a 4 day period).

I did find a lot of people driving slow (as someone mentioned). I kept wondering if I was misreading the signs. :p

What we found is drivers made up their own rules, but everyone just dealt with it and it was no big deal. Someone driving 20 mph under the speed limit in the left lane? No worries, just pass on the right. Someone drifting out into an intersection? No worries, either let him in or not. There's a distinct lack of ego involved. People are just going where they need to go.

The weirdest thing was that la policia drive around with their lights on. All the time! No need to pull over or get out of the way. I assume they turn sirens on for that.

All in all, it was no big deal. Of course, my husband was the one doing the actual driving, but I am generally more nervous driving around Washington DC than I am anywhere in Puerto Rico.

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This may have been mentioned already but when driving, use a good GPS. We used the google maps app on our phone and thankfully we had it! Road and exit signs don't match and have different names altogether! If your GPS tells you to exit...do it! We drove to Manati' and to Mar Chiquita beach area. The exit signs for the highway would say completely different things than what the google app said the names were but we followed that darn blue line like a hawk and made it where we wanted to be! Granted, had we been a bit more bilingual, the difference in the signage may have made a little more sense.

**My husband is a 40-something somewhat aggressive driver as well but he had no issue getting around the island at all. The small roads in OSJ are a bit hair raising but the grid makes sense. Just be sure to turn your side mirror in if parking on the street.

We had a rental car for a day the last time we were in Puerto Rico. We drove out to the Arecibo Observatory. Really enjoyed the drive, but as others have said, the roads are in rough shape, and other drivers can be a bit aggressive.

Pay for the rental car insurance. I checked both my car insurance and my insurance from my credit card would not cover me in Puerto Rico.

Driving in Puerto Rico is one thing but driving in OSJ is a different beast. It is worse than LA traffic which is no fun. In OSJ I saw someone go down a one way street the wrong way, almost run over people then go back so they could go the right way. It's a walking town if you ask me. Not some place I want to drive

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My husband and I did this back in 2006. I didn't do any of the driving, but do know we had "TWO" flat tires with in 24hrs. We only was there for 1 day after our cruise. The roads are REALLY BAD there. As for driving I didn't notice anything unusual for driving. If you drive LA you will be fine.

But just be aware the roads SUCK there at least back then.