Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval has outlined a proposal to turn Avenida Alcalde into a car-free avenue once construction of the city’s third subway line is completed.
The city center section of the line will run under Avenida Alcalde from La Normal traffic circle to Plaza de la Bandera.
Once the line has opened, all bus routes along Alcalde will be decommissioned. The governor’s latest plan is to eliminate all other traffic as well. The idea is for the pedestrian zone to continue past the Cathedral through the center, several blocks beyond Avenida Juarez, along Avenida 16 de Septiembre.
The proposal is likely to be fiercely contested by business owners in the zone. Previous experiments to remove cars from areas of the city center lead to drops in sales, the record shows.