The Rio de Janeiro City Government announced this Tuesday (1) that it will replace all cables used in traffic signals and street poles with copper-free materials. The measure aims to combat the high number of cable thefts and robberies in the city, which has caused significant losses and put citizens' safety at risk.
Since 2021, the estimated loss from stolen cables reaches R$ 69 million, with 457km of material damaged — equivalent to 230 laps around the Maracanã stadium. The city faces a growing problem of urban infrastructure theft, compromising public lighting and traffic light operation.
According to the city government, 25% of occurrences in the capital are concentrated on three streets in the North Zone: Rua 24 de Maio, Avenida Marechal Rondon and Boulevard 28 de Setembro. At the intersection of 28 de Setembro with Rua Radialista Waldir Amaral, where a motorcyclist died last Wednesday after a signal went out, 87 thefts were recorded this year alone.
In the next six weeks, the Greater Tijuca region will be the priority for cable replacement, which will be substituted with copper-free materials to make resale on the black market more challenging and diminish theft incentives.
