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WalMart lights


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Well, the expected has happened.  Coming from the east to WalMart, the traffic was at a standstill beyond the hospital at Chula Vista.  There also doesn't appear to be any legal way to enter the parking lot after waiting 30 minutes to get there.  We waited where the light is now working that lets cars go across in front of Autozone from the libramiento and just waited until there was a small break in traffic and turned left with no left turn light.  I guess the only way in legally is to turn right at the libramiento, make a u-turn and go straight at the light.  The only way, out if heading west, seems to be to exit at the light at the east end and turn left heading west, if the cars aren't blocking the intersection, and then wait through a couple of light changes to continue west.  When leaving we saw several traffic cops directing traffic about as efficiently as the lights were operating.  I asked a WalMart employee how we were supposed to enter from the east and he suggested (seriously) to turn left where the construction east of WalMart is and the drive up the lateral the wrong way and then enter the east side exit illegally.  I told him we would probably just shop at Soriana when we need a trip to a large store.  Thankfully we have a very nice abarrotes near our house for much of what we need and Pancho's is not too far. 

Can't wait to see what high season and midday rush hours looks like!  Alan

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1 hour ago, Shag said:

yes, we just returned from walmart, Played "maze" to get in there.   And there are more lights at that one intersection than in  all of New york City !!!!   lol

I doubt it. There are a lot of lights in NYC! HaHa

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The problems are as follows.  Much longer traffic delays.  Making a u-turn across a busy libramiento from a parking area where people already make up their own rules.  Having to travel through twice as many traffic lights where more accidents occur than any other place.  Expecting Mexican drivers to know/obey the rules (even if you are) is a pipe dream.  And this is why I won't go there unless I have to.  One plus of the whole disaster is that there will certainly be fewer folks traveling to see the newest Pueblo Magico and fewer folks moving here once they get a look at this hot mess.  If that is what the state govt., local officials, and businesses had in mind then...job well done!  Alan

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1 hour ago, slainte39 said:

Just go the direction you are allowed to go to and from Walmart, make a U turn and do it right.  You are doing it right and there is no problem.

Now 39 any traffic design that has one making a u-turn to have any success is doomed for failure....and accidents.

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1 hour ago, barrbower said:

ne plus of the whole disaster is that there will certainly be fewer folks traveling to see the newest Pueblo Magico and fewer folks moving here once they get a look at this hot mess.  If that is what the state govt., local officials, and businesses had in mind then...job well done!  Alan

The traffic has been a "hot mess" for a good five years or more now, and it has not slowed the influx in any way at all. Witness the astonishing number of cars during the whole period of Covid, when most people from home and from Canada could not even be here.

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Hmmmm...back when it was first announced that a Walmart was to be built in the present site, I said this will be total mess for traffic at this intersection. It's been a mess for several years, but now we have moved to the "supership stuck in the Suez Canal" stage. Surprise, surprise!

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6 hours ago, cookj5 said:

Hmmmm...back when it was first announced that a Walmart was to be built in the present site, I said this will be total mess for traffic at this intersection. It's been a mess for several years, but now we have moved to the "supership stuck in the Suez Canal" stage. Surprise, surprise!

But it didn't need to be.  From the beginning, when the direct ingress and egress was blocked, this has been screwed up.  This latest simply compounds the earlier errors in spades.  When added to the problems already being caused by the west side traffic light in San Antonio, that entire area will be gridlocked most of the day. 

There was a simple solution here, a single four phase light setup at the main intersection, no change to right hand turning off the libremiento towards Ajijic and east bound exit only at the east end of Walmart.  This is the near universal (NOB) solution for this situation and it works.

 

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1 hour ago, PNR1 said:

The brother of the person organizing the traffic lights at the WalMart intersection is the one who organized the Covid inoculations on the malecon. 😄

And the cousin of the whole damn road and sidewalk rebuild which as we speak is still ongoing, ripping up mistakes and redoing the same ones over and over again. Incompetence reigns supreme.

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2 hours ago, Mainecoons said:

But it didn't need to be.  From the beginning, when the direct ingress and egress was blocked, this has been screwed up.  This latest simply compounds the earlier errors in spades.  When added to the problems already being caused by the west side traffic light in San Antonio, that entire area will be gridlocked most of the day. 

There was a simple solution here, a single four phase light setup at the main intersection, no change to right hand turning off the libremiento towards Ajijic and east bound exit only at the east end of Walmart.  This is the near universal (NOB) solution for this situation and it works.

 

Years ago when the Walmart was constructed the "Deal" was that they would have a light giving access straight through from Liberaminto with a turn light and lane from the east. So Walmart built the store after paying and going through the permitting and inspection process, then the problems started.  The street there and signal light are state owned and they wanted a large donation to follow through. Walmart knows that the USA would fine them if they paid what appeared to be an illegal donation.

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The problem really began when they decided to put in a bus priority lane.  They should have just left the bus pull-off area like it was.  Then they could have just made lights at the main intersection with left turn lanes.  Both left arrows E and W go at the same time then both straight at the same time.  Then both N and S left turns at the same time then both straight at the same time.  Simple.  Once the eastbound bus passes the light it pulls over just as before.  WalMart exit on the east side could be only for traveling east.  Exit at the light to head west or straight up the libramiento.  How f'in hard could that possibly be?  People are going to die at this intersection.  I've already see one accident.  They will never admit they were wrong in their designs and much less fix this mess so just add it to the list of things that will make the expats who are thinking about retiring here to take a second look at other places.   I'm glad I'm old enough to not be here in twenty years to see the place.  I was first here fifty years ago and it was a fairly charming dumpy little fishing village with almost no infrastructure and a few writers, hippies, and artists.  Over the ensuing forty years it improved in many ways but the last ten years it has been sold to the highest bidder regardless of the adverse impact on the quality of life...especially for the locals.  We seem to be able, as a species, to find paradise and "love" it to death.  We are from Colorado and the same is happening there.  My 2 cents worth.  Alan

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Are they finished? As a longtime resident of lower SAT I was able to access Walmart by going North on Colon, and then turning left on the little dirt road next to the deserted condo monstrosity and enter the parking lot. Now they have paved that little strip and made it one way for cars leaving the parking lot and going East. How do you access the Walmart parking lot from SAT going West? Do you have to go into the Laguna Central mall parking lot and come back down the libremiento or go past the light and somehow make a U turn to come back? I was always assuming that there would be a left green light arrow into the parking lot going East to West on the carretera, thus my question of whether this project is completed!!! 

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54 minutes ago, gringohombre said:

How about selection and price???

I have not shopped in Walmart in about two years. They have nothing I can not get elsewhere — and do. Prices on some items are higher and some lower than in other places. I suspect cost-wise it is a wash. But, I wouldn’t care if I end up spending a bit more to shop elsewhere. That is preferable to shopping at Walmart.

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1 hour ago, gringohombre said:

How about selection and price???

If those are your only criteria for where to shop, then I understand. But if you have to spend a frustrating amount of time stuck in traffic trying to get there, burning up gas, how much money are you saving?

Selection: There's nothing at Walmart I can't find somewhere else. I might have to go to 3 stores instead of one, but it's not like Walmart has some sort of amazing selection of products not to be found elsewhere.

Price: I doubt that a whole lot of expats would be heavily financially impacted by paying a few pesos more per item. If you're a poor Mexican with 6 kids to feed, it might make a significant difference.

I much prefer supporting smaller mom and pop local stores, even if it costs a bit more, than giving my money to a multinational corporation. For some things I can't get in smaller stores, none of which are essential to survival, I do go to Costco, which at least has large enough aisles that I don't have people with masks worn under their noses passing within inches of me, not to mention employees who are helpful and seem to possess more than a minimum of intelligence, and excellent customer service, which seems to be an alien concept to Walmart Mexico.

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It's not just to and from WalMart.  It is going from Riberas to Ajijic or Costco on the west side.  It is an ambulance trying to get from Chapala to La Floresta.  It's a delivery truck trying to make a living taking product from San Antonio to Ajijic.  It's a person from Chapala trying to get to Tony's Meats.  It's visitors trying to get to restaurants in San Juan Cosala.  It's people trying to get to CI Banco or Sterens or Telcel.  It's not just about you not liking WalMart.  Bad traffic affects everybody as you will see the next time you drive through the area.  Really bad when logical options were available.  Alan

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19 hours ago, RickS said:

Now 39 any traffic design that has one making a u-turn to have any success is doomed for failure....and accidents.

When coming from the east and I want to enter Walmart, I go to the first entrance to the lateral in La Floresta, go to the glorieta with the traffic light and circle the glorieta and be headed in the right direction for easy entrance to Walmart.  Sooner at the non traffic lighted glorietas if traffic is not heavy.

Leaving Walmart and wanting to travel west I go to San Jose, get on the lateral to Jesus Garcia with the light and make a left turn onto the Carretera going west.  It ranges from 5 to 10 minutes extra time but it sure beats pounding your head into a brick wall which seems to be what everyone posting here wants to do.

 

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I might add, how many times a day are YOU PEOPLE going to Walmart?  If I only spend 10 minutes a day doing something that is totally legal and not  dangerous.....well then I do....

They could have located Walmart in Ixtlahuacan and that would have required even more time for the north shore residents...LOL

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