“There are many options and we have to study each of them,” said Semadet Director Magdalena Ruiz Mejia. “What we must do is disincentivize use of the automobile and that’s why the new (bus) transportation (overhaul) is so important.”
Semadet is responsible for verificación vehicular, the exhaust emissions monitoring program that is obligatory for all vehicles in Jalisco but is feebly enforced. Since taking office in March, Ruiz Mejia has not made any announcement on how to bolster the program to make a significant impact on the city’s air quality.
Hoy no Circula started in Mexico City in 1989 at a time when the capital’s contamination levels were similar to those of Guadalajara today. The program consists of prohibiting the circulation of around 20 percent of vehicles from Monday to Friday depending on the last digit of their license plates. A similar coordinated program operates within the State of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City on three sides.