Ferret Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 The buses and the garbage trucks are the cause of a LOT of backup of traffic. The bus "depot" at the corner of Colon is not big enough or deep enough to allow the bus to pull off the road... or the drivers just don't pull all the way off. The garbage could be collected in the early hours before traffic starts to build. I used to live in West Ajijic and these two problems were nearly always the cause of holdups going east. Going west, it's people making the left hand turn into the "tope" section of the Superlake parking lot in front of Tony's Restaurant. If that was closed off and people were forced to go to the next set of lights to make the turn (with a flashing arrow), the problem might be solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryB Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 The only practical answer is to knock down buildings within the government right of way. I've been told it is 26 meters from the center of the road on either side. This would never happen even if the owners are compensated for the buildings; and the political party would lose all those votes and those of their compadres. At this point, the municipality must lease every vacant lot in el centro and turn them into parking lots. The fees would pay for the lease, maintenance and employees and some to steal even. If something isn't done about parking the centro businesses will choke to death; partly from their own fault for insisting on parking in front of their own businesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafemediterraneo Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 9 minutes ago, HarryB said: The only practical answer is to knock down buildings within the government right of way. I've been told it is 26 meters from the center of the road on either side. This would never happen even if the owners are compensated for the buildings; and the political party would lose all those votes and those of their compadres. At this point, the municipality must lease every vacant lot in el centro and turn them into parking lots. The fees would pay for the lease, maintenance and employees and some to steal even. If something isn't done about parking the centro businesses will choke to death; partly from their own fault for insisting on parking in front of their own businesses. There is a huge vacant lot next to Farmacia/Amutio on the carretera that would be perfect. the family doesn't want to sell, only rent it out as others have made inquiries...easy access from the carretera and exit on to Guad. Vict. good placement for shuttle,bus stop is there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Bizco Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 Survey: 1. Does the above rendering posted by Solajijic conform with your vision of how Ajijic should look? Yes, No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo1 Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 The rendition that was posted by solajijic is all fine and dandy, except what do they plan to do with the south side of the carretera where the elevation between the road way and the parking strip is so extreme? Some govt. officials need to have the guts to bull doze the fronts off the buildings that are encroaching on the federal right-of-way and put in a 4-lane carretera of the proper elevation that will accommodate the increased traffic in the area. This would also allow a space for sidewalks and a bike lane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barcelonaman Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 It will never look like the rendition in a million years. Where will the cars that are parked in real foto ,park? However the real foto does show what an eyesore the place is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solajijic Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 Harry B is right and I do think that they will get into this project realize the road can't be flattened and decide that having taken and committed the monies to do compels them to complete it and they will take the federal land back with the excuse they haven't any choice because after all it is federal land and they can't give the money back. Regardless the rendition from the city shows a truck parked in the light blue path to the left in addition to a moving motorcycle and people walking. On the right is the bike path with pedestrian in it and those poles in the roadway differentiating the space will last all of a month. It's got bad idea all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdlngton Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 18 hours ago, TheBestSideOfTheWall said: If you build it they will come!!! Can I ask why you feel extra traffic lanes are benificial? I have lived in two different cities and seen two different approaches to heavy traffic. The one who kept widening/adding lanes is the hands down traffic loser. While I was in Portland, OR, a large influx of people from CA made for a large amount of congestion. Portlands solution? Rip out the interstate going though downtown and make it a waterfront park. This forced the newcomers into learning to use mass transit, bike, or carpool. The second place I then lived was Houston. Houston can now brag that it has the widest interstate in the WORLD. And yet Houston still gets the honors of second worse traffic in the US. People still haul their breifcase in their huge SUV's to work every day because the government keeps trying to facilitate their behavior. I love it when I see people saying, "take the bus because there is no place to park." It bests hearing, "they should add parking lots." Because we all know how lovely parking lots are. And I feel the same about widening roads. I know we are all in a hurry to get to Wal-mart to see if they finally have what we need but I'm with bikers/pedestrians one this one. I'm open minded to hearing your alternat reasoning. The after all, I haven't lived in every city in the world. It may work in other places. Portland did not rip out I-5, they simply rerouted to the east side of the Willamette and built the Marquam bridge to cross the river to reconnect with the freeway on the west side of the river. At least that's how I remember it. My concern about building this bike lane through Ajijic is that eliminating parking on the north side of the carretera is going to be hard on businesses on both sides of the highway. It is already hard enough to find a place to park to patronize businesses in that area. With the laterals and sidewalks in existence I'm not sure I see the problem for pedestrians. Are there really enough people riding bicycles to merit this project? But it's a moot point despite today's "advisory" vote as it's pretty obvious it's a done deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdawgs Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 A bike lane will help a few to the detriment of many. Ajijic is the bottleneck of the north side, period. So spend a bunch of money so a few bikers can ride through without improving traffic at all. What a waste of $$, use it somewhere it can make a difference in people's lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdlngton Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 On 8/26/2017 at 2:47 PM, Ajijic_hiker said: No great loss if they tore down those crummy looking shops on either side of the road, then rebuilt them with 'charming' store fronts...I hate the new pawn shop structure, (mostly because it IS a pawn shop) but at least it doesn't look like it will fall down anytime soon. And there's plenty of space in front of it for a decent sidewalk and bike path. The down town strip COULD look attractive...if it wanted to. Big loss to the business owners while this is being done. Given the way things go around here, if the buildings were rebuilt (by the municipal government? I doubt that.) the landlords would raise the rent and the businesses would either have to move elsewhere or close altogether. I seriously wonder if there has actually been a count done of how many cyclists travel through that section of the carretera during the average 24 hour period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryB Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 The business owners are not likely to put any money into storefronts on land they don't own and can be demolished at government whim; thou not politically likely. I am concerned about those who have parking on the mountain side of the carretera. Patrons would have to cross the bike/pedestrian lane to use that parking, thus endangering the users of the new gimmick? Montanya Plaza, Pawn shop, and the shops between? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 16 hours ago, bdlngton said: Big loss to the business owners while this is being done. Given the way things go around here, if the buildings were rebuilt (by the municipal government? I doubt that.) the landlords would raise the rent and the businesses would either have to move elsewhere or close altogether. I seriously wonder if there has actually been a count done of how many cyclists travel through that section of the carretera during the average 24 hour period. You have to be a very brave cyclist to travel through that section at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barcelonaman Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 What a waste of money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm30655 Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 On 8/27/2017 at 8:54 AM, Sonia said: There is not one traffic light in all of San Miguel and rarely an accident at cross streets. The rule is one car goes and then the next one coming to the side goes. We have enough congestion in centro esp that no one wants traffic lights. And the first rule here is pedestrians first. It surprisingly works well for a city of 90,000 and 180,000 in the total municipality. And never an issue of traffic lights not working. SMA also now closes some streets to traffic around the jardine giving pedestrians priority. We have 7-8 traffic lights in Ajijic but few people actually obey them. None of the bicyclists ever obey them. There are all kinds of "no left turn" signs that are ignored by everyone, all the time. No pedestrians cross at the lights. That's just not "macho". Jaywalking is a local sport The cops don't show up until 9am. Before that, it is "every man for himself" but very few accidents or fatalities. As far as pedestrians, I watched a woman jaywalk this morning by simply walking into the road, holding up her hand and stopping traffic both ways. She was about 30' from the corner with a light. Worked for her. If she had tried that in the US, she would have been a hood ornament. After a decade of living here, I just consider it "normal" to find people parked halfway in the roadway, people in the street etc. The only thing that has buffaloed me was the day a pony came out of the side street and headed down my lane. I stopped, he stuck his nose in the drivers side window, apparently didn't find what he wanted and continued on down the road, checking cars. That was unusual even for Ajijic. Even finding 4 cows crossing the highway one Sunday morning didn't seem all that strange. I keep seeing all this stuff about "driver less cars". When they can build one that can go from Joco to Chapala and back twice with no dents, I'm going to buy one......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 I'm pretty sure I have seen a number of driver-less cars around here, except they always actually have a person in the driver's seat. But they must be holograms, because no sentient being would drive like they do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMactavish Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 They don't drive, they aim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 You know - there are some pretty cool and powerful electric bikes these days. They look like sturdy mountain bikes and use solar charging. I am not going to post links, you can find them yourself. The question is whether ""they" will call them scooters, etc. I am not quite ready for that challenge - but I am not far off. Maybe that is something sustainable and addictive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 On 8/27/2017 at 1:12 PM, barcelonaman said: It will never look like the rendition in a million years. Where will the cars that are parked in real foto ,park? However the real foto does show what an eyesore the place is IMHO the rendition is the eyesore--and I can't believe that I agree with betty about it. The photo looks like Ajijic has looked since way before I went to live there in 1999--well, with the exception of the OXXO on the mountain side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixonge Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 This thread rather solidly confirms our thinking about *not* owning a car in Mexico. Maybe all we need is a golf cart and Ocampo. I think the Carraterra is a bit of a lost cause. I hope the congestion will just cause all the Tapatios to drive around the west side and invade Joco or stay east in Chapala. Leave Ajijic for us gringos viejos to todder around the cobblestones. I do like the idea of andadores with no auto/moto traffic. They have a few of these in the tourist areas around the plaza in San Cristobal de las Casas. In the early morning hours delivery vehicles are allowed, but by 9am or so it is pedestrian traffic only. I can think of several places around the plaza where this would probably be a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 4 hours ago, dixonge said: This thread rather solidly confirms our thinking about *not* owning a car in Mexico. Maybe all we need is a golf cart and Ocampo. I think the Carraterra is a bit of a lost cause. I hope the congestion will just cause all the Tapatios to drive around the west side and invade Joco or stay east in Chapala. Leave Ajijic for us gringos viejos to todder around the cobblestones. I do like the idea of andadores with no auto/moto traffic. They have a few of these in the tourist areas around the plaza in San Cristobal de las Casas. In the early morning hours delivery vehicles are allowed, but by 9am or so it is pedestrian traffic only. I can think of several places around the plaza where this would probably be a great idea. We're very glad we have a car here as we enjoy traveling Mexico more all the time and it is indispensable for shopping trips into GDL. Locally, it is all about timing. Avoid going out on the big tourist weekends, and go early the rest of the time. Drive a car that is narrow enough to navigate the small streets, gets good gas mileage, rides higher to get over the topes, is strong enough to deal with all the bad pavement, and be all that while being able to take trips NOB and carry a bunch of stuff. We've never regretted our choice of the Honda CRV, it has been the perfect car for us for here. Having said that, I sure do miss the Caddie DTS I drove when we lived in New Mexico and that big Northstar V8 under the hood. I definitely favor making Colon and Marcos Castellanos car free from the carretera to the lake car free on the weekends after, say, 9AM in the morning. I believe once everyone got used to it it would be a boon to the local businesses there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 On 26/08/2017 at 0:47 PM, Ajijic_hiker said: No great loss if they tore down those crummy looking shops on either side of the road, then rebuilt them with 'charming' store fronts...I hate the new pawn shop structure, (mostly because it IS a pawn shop) but at least it doesn't look like it will fall down anytime soon. And there's plenty of space in front of it for a decent sidewalk and bike path. The down town strip COULD look attractive...if it wanted to. I would go even further. Get rid of all the shabby buildings, build a 4 lane line road, line it with attractive trees, street lights , put a bike path along the side behind the trees. Forget the stores. Provide a space for strip mall for small businesses on the west of Ajijic or libramiento with parking lot. The way this area is growing it will need a better flow of the traffic very soon. The resent proposals are just a Mickey mouse alternatives and waste of money. It will not do much (a little band aid for bikers) and will create a chaos for years to come. Think bold . Where the money will come from to do this??? I do not know.....make a suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 30 minutes ago, Islander said: I would go even further. Get rid of all the shabby buildings, build a 4 lane line road, line it with attractive trees, street lights , put a bike path along the side behind the trees. Forget the stores. Provide a space for strip mall for small businesses on the west of Ajijic or libramiento with parking lot. The way this area is growing it will need a better flow of the traffic very soon. The resent proposals are just a Mickey mouse alternatives and waste of money. It will not do much (a little band aid for bikers) and will create a chaos for years to come. Think bold . Where the money will come from to do this??? I do not know.....make a suggestion. You're not serious, are you? If you are.....the world needs optimists, I suppose. Sure, it would be nice to prettify and "usify" the area, but I'll bet it won't be much different in ten years as it is now, and IMHO, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Families are making a living from those crummy looking shops. What effect do you suppose it would have on their daily livlihood if the changes some propose were to take place? For some, this could turn into a tragedy. For the rest of us: "bloom where you're planted" works for me. Pueblo Magico? We don't really need that, do we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Does the municipality even realize the hell that is going to be created for the duration of this "project"? For traffic and businesses and shoppers alike. And you know whatever time frame they said is just a pipe dream. Now, let's just say they finish this moronic scheme. Where are the delivery trucks going to park for, let's say, any of the vegetable stores? Why, in the middle of the highway, that's where. Or if they are really lucky, right on the bike path, which will rapidly crush the pavement and turn it into what we have already. This will have the effect of causing more traffic jams, and screwing up access to anywhere for both cyclists and pedestrians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerhead Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 I recall in the 70s, early 80s in Acapulco the hotel district and beaches were overwhelmed with venders squatting on sidewalks, doorways and pestering sunbathers non-stop. They moved all the illegal squatting venders and beach pests to a area of their own a couple of blocks away where you could visit all of them at one time. It worked very well indeed for everyone. Could this not be done here also with those business who have encroached upon highway property which need to be knocked down to make room for a 4 lane carretera, bike path and sidewalks and moving all to on area (strip mall ) paid for by the government?? Anything less is a waste of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm30655 Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Personally, I think the center of Ajijic as a choke point works pretty well. You can't speed through that congested area. Open it up and put in a bike lane and the speed will go up. As weird as the logic seems, the reason that so few people get hurt in that area is because it is such a dangerous area. You will never stop the jaywalkers, much less the dogs, cats, kids etc from being in the road. I'm extremely alert in that area from La Floresta to the top of the hill going west because I just know someone will do something stupid in that area and I'm rarely disappointed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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