Remember the classic Abbot and Costello skit known as “Who’s on first?”
A variation on the hilariously scrambled dialogue could be applied to help sort out confusion that has emerged as Chapala transitions to local authority over traffic management.
In reality, it’s not that complicated, as explained by Juan Pablo Joaquin Mendoza, second in command at the newly formed Municipal Transit Department.
Local traffic cops now have jurisdiction over all streets and roadways within the municipal boundaries that start at Chapala’s Avenida Pepe Guizar and intermittent areas extending to the cemetery on the western outskirts of Ajijic. Stretches of highway beyond those points leading to Mezcala and Jocotepec and the Chapala-Ajijic Libramiento bypass remain under the authority of Jalisco’s Secretaria de Movilidad (Semov).
What that means is that Semov patrol officers are not permitted to stop or ticket motorists at any location under the municipality’s purview. And, for the time being, local traffic cops are not authorized to do so either. Until the municipal government establishes its own traffic code and finalizes an agreement with the state to impose and collect fines, they may only issue verbal or written warnings to motorists caught infringing the rules of the road. The panorama could change as early as next month or possibly much farther down the road.