A new law may be introduced to reduce the number of cars coming into the capital. The bill would use license plate numbers to regulate which cars are allowed to pass through the most congested areas of the city.

The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, proposes that between Monday and Friday cars with even numbered plates can pass through certain streets and on the other days cars with odd numbered plates can.

Avenues Entre Ríos to Callao, Córdoba, Leandro N. Alem-Paseo Colón and Independencia will be streets included in the new proposal. There are however exceptions to the bill such as “public and private transport, roads used for emergency vehicles, remises, motorcycles and other two wheeled vehicles”.

“This will probably be uncomfortable and unpleasant for some, but certainly beneficial to the people of the city and its infrastructure,” commented Legislator Oscar Zago.

The National Meterological Service (SMN) warned today of the possibility that intense rain and winds affecting areas in the centre of the country could mean the appearance of hail in the capital overnight.

The weather alert applies to Buenos Aires, the centre and east of La Pampa, southeast of Mendoza, San Luis, Arizona, the south and centre of Cordoba, the south and centre of Entre Rios, central Santa Fe, and Rio de La Plata.

Since this morning, there have been isolated storms appearing over an area covered by a mass of warm, moist and unstable air. The SMN explained that the entry of a layer of cold air at middle levels in the atmosphere between this evening and tomorrow morning will mean the storms will extend across the whole coverage area.

“Some of the storms could acquire heavy or severe intensity and could, therefore, lead to abundant rainfall, heavy gusts of wind, hail and strong electrical activity,” a spokesman from the SMN added.

Starting in the south, the weather conditions will get better throughout the morning tomorrow.

Security minister Nilda Garré will announce this afternoon the details of a new measure aiming to put more policemen on the streets of the city of Buenos Aires.

The ‘Plan of Urban Security’ is aiming to increase security in the so-called ‘hot zones’ of the city, which are reported to have higher rates of crimes compared to other districts. It will also fully rearrange patrol routes and officers’ allocated corners.

According to Garré it will “substantially improve the police services in the capital during the day as well as in the night time.”

This announcement is being made in less than 3 weeks before the general elections and answers one of the main demands of the porteños regarding insecurity issues in Buenos Aires.

Normal traffic complications have worsened today due to weather conditions in the capital. At least six accidents have occurred over the course of the morning, resulting in numerous injuries. Rain and poor visibility has caused delays and problems in various porteño neighbourhoods.

An accident occurred around 2.30am on the Dellepiane motorway, at the top of calle Escalada, in the Bajo Flores neighbourhood, where two police patrol cars crashed whilst in pursuit of a driver who failed to stop at a checkpoint. Three of the police involved suffered multiple trauma, although they managed to catch and arrest the driver in question.

At around 5.45am, on the corner of Figueroa Alcorta y Sarmiento, opposite the Planetarium, a Volkswagen Gol lost control and crashed into a lighting column. Police have said the driver sustained grave injuries and is currently in Hopsital Fernández.

Then, at around 6am, on the corner of avenida Belgrano y Chacabuco, a police car collided with a taxi. The policeman remained trapped inside the vehicle so that firemen had to remove him. He was transferred to Hospital Churruca, although he is now out of any danger.

A few minutes before 7 am a man suffered bad injuries after two cars crashed in San Telmo. The accident occurred on the crossing of the motorways La Plata-Buenos Aires and 25 de Mayo. The injured man was moved to Hospital Argerich.

At around the same time, a man suffered bad injuries after two cars crashed in the Retiro neighbourhood. The impact occurred on the corner of Antártida Argentina y Ramos Mejía, where the two cars had a head on collision.