SCT Jalisco’s personnel made reports in the area. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía – The Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT Jalisco) went to the site to prepare reports and propose solutions after multiple crashes on the Guadalajara-Morelia highway, along the stretch of road known as «La Engorda» in El Molino took place.
Eighty-two automobile accidents were recorded, some of them with fatal consequences between 2021 and January of this year, according to the record delivered January 31 to the SCT by the local deputy for District 17, María Dolores López Jara,
In total there were 19 fatalities and more than 100 injured, according to López Jara, who together with the municipal trustee, Carlos Alberto Zúñiga Chacón, reviewed the road section together with SCT personnel on February 1st.
Zúñiga Chacón said that, previously, the widening of lanes in El Molino had been proposed, however, it was a project that never materialized because no agreement was reached with the landowners.
The trustee explained that they were asking for «exorbitant amounts» in relation to the real value of the properties, in addition to the disapproval of the businesses established next to the road, who argued that by converting this route into a beltway, their sales would decrease.
So far, the measures that the Ministry of Communications and Transportation may propose for this roadwork are unknown, since they are just in the analysis phase.
Although the exact factors that have turned this stretch into a danger for motorists are unknown, elements of the Civil Protection and Firefighters Unit of Jocotepec indicated that the need to suddenly and drastically to reduce speed in order to enter the lane, along with the narrowness of the road, could be the causes.
The report did not specify the percentage of accidents that are associated with the consumption of intoxicating beverages or the recklessness of the drivers, which could also be causes for the accidents.
Translated by Colleen Beery
Jocotepec’s Highway Department attended the accident.
A collision occurred at the access to the Jocotepec beltway during midday on January 26, leaving two vehicles damaged.
The area where the accident occurred has unstable asphalt which causes motorists to get out of control, in addition, there are no signs or signage at the intersection to instruct drivers who do not know the area.
Translated by Kerry Watson
The red SUV damaged in the accident.
A head-on collision occurred in Ajijic on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, between Rio Bravo and Seis Esquinas, in the area of the speed bumps. A red Audi SUV and a white Dodge pickup were involved in the accident. According to reports, the driver of the white pickup left the scene of the accident.
The accident was attended by traffic police, while traffic was held up due to the accident.
Translated by Christalle Dalsted
The vehicles came close to colliding head-on.
Once again there was an accident on the Guadalajara-Morelia highway on the El Molino – Jocotepec stretch, involving two vehicles that came close to colliding head-on.
The accident occurred during the morning of Sunday, January 23, and caused traffic chaos at the point where the highway changes from four to two narrow lanes, which are also in poor condition. Just a week before this collision, there was a serious accident in which three people lost their lives, including a two year old child.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
There were no injuries in this accident that left a VW Jetta on its side
A red Volkswagen Jetta was left on its side in the bicycle lane after the driver, a 21-year-old man from San Antonio Tlayacapan, lost control of the vehicle during the night of Jan. 21.
The driver was unharmed. The vehicle was damaged and had to be towed away with a tow truck. Excessive speed may have been a factor in the accident.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Calle Los Tulipanes with the new chain preventing passage, January 26.
Jazmín Stengel.– The streets that for a long time were privatized, were reopened to the public by personnel of the Municipality of Chapala, on Friday, January 21, causing annoyance among the neighbors of the Mirasol subdivision.
At the request of residents south of Riberas del Pilar, Chapala Mobility and municipal government personnel used heavy machinery to open the streets Los Lirios, Los Tulipanes and Tabachines of the subdivision, giving way to the general public. Las Malvas was the only street that was blocked due to some bushes that were planted on the site.
This action annoyed the neighbors of Mirasol. A group of 23 people protested in front of the municipal presidency on Monday, January 24. The demonstration ended with the signing of an official document between the protesters and the chief of staff, Joaquín Huerta, who attended to the complaints.
Mayor Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel promised to attend to the complainants personally in an appointment scheduled for next week, with a date still pending.
Even so, the neighbors of the Mirasol subdivision ignored the change and put back the chains that had been blocking the parallel streets of Los Lirios and Los Tulipanes. The land at the end of Mirasol Street remains fenced off. The only street that stayed open to the public until January 26th was Tabachines Street, which ends at a construction site.
The protesters confirmed that they demanded the government repair the three streets surrounding the subdivision, so that the inhabitants of Riberas can use those streets and they can close the aforementioned ones again, alleging their «right of use and customs due to their seniority,» stated one of the complainants. However, the latter is not possible, since within the legal framework the roads are public and to restrict them would be privatization.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
Lago de Chapala. Foto: Héctor Ruíz.
Por: Daniel Jiménez Carranza
El crecimiento demográfico experimentado en la zona ribereña del Municipio de Chapala y aledaños, plantea serios retos a la población y autoridades, que obligan a establecer una inminente planeación, a nivel urbano, ecológico, poblacional; no se puede esperar a llegar al ápice de la problemática, y comenzar a apagar incendios, producto de la miopía política y falta de visión; es imposible que los políticos miren hacia otro lado cuando se presentan insípidas señales de lo que se aprecia caótico en el mediano plazo, cuando no se confronta la realidad inmediata, con una visión de los efectos que supondrá en el futuro, asumiendo su responsabilidad con soluciones puntuales y una adecuada planeación a mediano y largo plazo.
Es preciso realizar un inventario de los recursos de la región, para establecer claramente su uso, explotación, su proyección, así como la capacidad que tiene la zona de albergar construcciones, vialidades, población de tal manera que no incida en un detrimento del ecosistema, y de la calidad de vida de sus habitantes.
En cada municipio del país, existe un Plan de Desarrollo Urbano, sin embargo, éste, en la mayoría de los casos está orientado a la construccione$, obviando aspectos fundamentales como son el ecosistema, la actividad productiva de sus pobladores, la infraestructura educativa, la vial, etc.
En la actualidad, estamos confrontando fenómenos naturales de todo tipo, epidemias, pandemias derivadas del hacinamiento, abuso y descuido de las partes vivas de este planeta, como son los animales y plantas, empleando pesticidas, vertiendo residuos tóxicos al medio ambiente, sin embargo, los gobiernos tardíamente han reaccionado, estableciendo como prioridad la fabricación de autos eléctricos, que sin duda, representan un paso inicial importante en la acción contra el deterioro del planeta, sin embargo, no es suficiente, existen otros tantos elementos como los enumerados, a los cuales se les debe prestar atención prioritaria, y en el que deberemos participar todos y no la industria automotriz, a cuya zaga, se mantienen también empresas fabricantes de productos químicos que sí causan graves daños al ecosistema, y la humanidad.
Entretanto las autoridades municipales se reúnen a tratar estos escabrosos temas, es necesario se tomen la molestia de abordar el inaplazable tema del tráfico, específicamente el de la carretera oriente-poniente que cruza Ajijic, es verdaderamente inconcebible, que en determinados momentos, uno tarde en cruzar el pueblo, prácticamente el mismo tiempo que uno emplea en trasladarse a Guadalajara, en condiciones normales, por supuesto. Uno se pregunta si es que las autoridades no se han tomado la molestia de observar este problema, sin que hayan hecho algo para resolverlo; no se requiere de grandes inversiones, ni grandes cambios, se pueden implementar medidas inmediatas que ayuden a resolverlo, como es la prohibición de estacionamiento en la avenida, implementar espacios para estacionamiento en terrenos municipales, o calles aledañas al centro, para lo cual también, sería conveniente que las banquetas fueran encementadas y no empedradas, pues los autos, pueden circular sin problemas, pero no los peatones en el empedrado, particularmente personas mayores, todo ello, a reserva de empezar a elaborar un plan de infraestructura vial y todos los inherentes.
Maintenance of street lights on Álvaro Obregón street. Photo: Facebook of the Ajijic Delegation.
Sofía Medeles – Without waiting for public lighting personnel from Chapala, the person in charge of Ajijic’s office, Maximiliano «Max» Macías Arceo and local personnel got down to work to put an end to Ajijic’s gloom by maintaining and repairing the street lights in different parts of the town.
Macías Arceo said that many of the problems of out-of-service street lights were simply minor repairs; only a few were badly damaged.
«Some were very neglected, but others just had simple things, such as a bad connection. To solve this problem, without having to wait for the Chapala President Alejandro Aguirre Curiel to authorize county staff, a small crew of two people was formed in Ajijic which will have two days assigned for the maintenance», said Macías Arceo, who added that he prefers to order the material and safety equipment to speed up the repairs, instead of waiting for personnel from the City Hall to have time to start work.
He said that the only thing they need to be in good working order all the time is continuous maintenance.
The repaired lights were on Revolución and Álvaro Obregón streets, the Villa Nova truck stop, Encarnación Rosas by the high school area north of town, Paseo del Prado street in La Floresta, Río Lerma and Del Paseo west of town in the Seis Esquinas neighborhood , and in the area known as La Cruz, between Marcos Castellanos and Nicolás Brazo streets by the beach
«In the area of La Cruz, everything was dark — it looked like a wolf cave since none of the light fixtures in that part of town worked. The worker who was in charge of fixing it told us that the cable was only broken, and when we reconnected it, all the lamps on that street came on. The residents of that area were very grateful to us, because they told us that they were afraid to go out at night because of the darkness,» said Macías Arceo.
Macías Arceo said that for more complicated works, they will look for at least one person from public lighting to accompany the workers of the delegation to supervise them and to continue to follow up on the reports. He claimed that he is aware of the lack of street lights on streets such as Villa Lucerna, P. del Prado, etc., and said that he is waiting for the opportunity to speak with the person in charge of public works to ask for a budget to place the poles and lights that are needed.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Illustrative photo.
A motorcyclist was driving recklessly and at high speed at around 2 p.m. Jan. 18 in Chapala. The motorcyclist ran over a 26-year-old man and fled the scene.
The young man was left lying on the ground on Manzanillo Street at the intersection with Segunda del Cerrito in the San Miguel neighborhood. The injured man was examined at the scene and taken to the Chapala Cruz Roja facilities for medical evaluation.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Three dead after fatal accident on the El Molino stretch, this would be the third accident at the same point so far this year. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía: Three people died and ten were injured in the tragic accident that occurred on the El Molino stretch in the municipality of Jocotepec on Sunday, January 16. The Guadalajara-Morelia highway at kilometer 11, on the El Molino stretch, was the scene of the accident involving three vehicles.
The accident claimed the lives of a baby girl of approximately one year of age and a man of approximately 45 years of age who died at the scene; in addition, a woman died while being transported to clinic 180 in Guadalajara. Ten other people were injured.
Civil Protection and Firefighters of Jocotepec, with the same unit from Acatlán de Juárez, assisted the woman who was pinned in the compact car; who unfortunately lost her life during the transfer.
One of the injured lost her leg just above the knee, according to medical authorities of the Rafael Gómez Rodríguez Municipal Clinic.
Hydraulic machinery was needed to free one of the victims who was pinned in. Photo: Courtesy.
According to the medical and Civil Protection authorities, none of those involved were from Jocotepec, they were all from Zapopan and Cerro del Cuatro in Guadalajara and they added that they were on their way to a baseball game.
The reason for the fatal accident is still unknown, Oscar Rameño, Director of Mobility of Jocotepec. The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) is reviewing the accident.
However, according to Civil Protection authorities, the main causes of accidents, specifically in the El Molino stretch, are mostly due to speeding, since it is a drastically reduced stretch, causing drivers to lose control.
So far this year, as of January 20, there have already been three accidents, involving a dairy truck that overturned and a private van whose driver was injured.
Civil Protection authorities urged the community to take the appropriate precautions when traveling along the stretch and to respect the speed limits because «your life can be changed in a split second.»
Translated by Kerry Watson
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