Walking around Ajijic has never been easy, but with the underground cabling project now in full swing, the village center has turned into a genuine obstacle course for pedestrians.
Last week, an elderly foreign resident took a tumble when the toe of her sneaker got wedged in a gap around the cement cable box at the corner of Parroquia and Marcos Castellanos. Someone who happened to be nearby at the moment of the accident stopped to snap a photo of the victim sprawled out face down over the hole.
Fortunately, the lady did not sustain serious injury, but she was infuriated when the picture appeared on various social media sites. Hardly anyone would have known her identity had she not outed herself on Facebook. She also complained about the negligence in failing to mark danger spots with security tape or other objects to deter passage. Those warning measures might have given her a heads-up to step out into the street or to the uninterrupted sidewalk on the opposite side.
The intent of sharing the picture was obviously to warn others to be cautious when walking anywhere in the construction zone spread out between Calles Ramón Corona-Marcos Castellanos, Colón-Morelos and intermediate points. Work is progressing at a steady pace, with project crews moving to different locations on a regular basis.
At the insistence of many villagers, maps and photos showing street closures and project advances are being posted almost daily on the Delegación Ajijic and Gobierno de Chapala Facebook sites. They provide guidelines for pedestrians and motorists alike who want to avoid mounting transit troubles, as well as those concerning bus routes that are occasionally altered to bypass critical points.