Who would dispute that traversing the highway through the center of Ajijic is a nightmare for motorists and a life-threatening experience for pedestrians and cyclists?
Who would argue that the busy commercial strip, with its scruffy storefronts and mishmash of signage, couldn’t use an extreme makeover?
The real question though, is whether the local populace will buy into the Chapala government’s renewal plan for the zone? City Hall has confirmed that the matter goes up for a public vote on Sunday, August 27, when 2,000 ballots will be made available at the Ajijic plaza, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Voting will be open to everyone living in the municipality – minimum age 14 and regardless of place of residence or nationality – who shows up with a Mexican voter ID or any proof of domicile. Participants will be required to write their names and addresses on the ballot, and mark “si” or “no” to indicate if they agree with the government project or not. There will be extra space to write in suggestions for modest changes to improve the plan.
City Hall staffers have reached out to the public to introduce the project at a series of meetings held throughout this month. Mayor Javier Degollado himself gave a hard-sell pitch to a select group of expats at an invitation-only gathering of local organization leaders at the Lake Chapala Society on Friday, August 18.
During a two-hour presentation, the mayor took the group on an armchair video tour of the highway from the Libramiento intersection to the last stoplight at the west end of Ajijic. He paused the projection numerous times to explain existing problems and how they will be fixed, fielding questions as they cropped up from the audience.
The work will entail making structural and esthetic improvements on both sides of the central asphalt strip between the intersection of Javier Mina at the location of the Hospital Ajijic and Calle Juarez at the last traffic light.
On-street parking will be eliminated on the north side to make space for a continuous line of sidewalks and a ciclovía (cycling path). The parking lane on the opposite side will be resurfaced, with designated bus stops and loading zones to supply businesses. The installation of new street lamps and ramps to accommodate wheelchairs and baby strollers will be included.
Felipe Pérez, head of the Simapa water service agency, intervened briefly to outline the trickiest part of the project: upgrading underground water supply connections and sewage lines that are decades old and badly damaged at many points. Ditches will be built for channeling summer rainfall away from intersections and towards the lake, he said.
Questioned about improving highway safety, Degollado talked of the government’s projections for putting traffic control and enforcement in the hands of municipal police in lieu of state agents. This will allow the local government to maintain and repair stoplights and add left turn lanes at major intersections.
Asked about the estimated time frame for the ambitious project, the mayor pledged that work will start on August 29, to be finished before November 22 when the village’s San Andrés fiestas commence.