The Rumor Mill

A friend's friend isn't renewing her lease on a business property she has had for years on the carretera in Ajijic because they are going to widen the road. Seems the gov. will expand the roadway to 20 meters on each side of the center line through Ajijic. The rumor did not include time lines or any other details.

Bummer.

I agree, though I might argue that the ambiance of much of the carreterra at present leaves something to be desired.
The bypass, were it to be constructed, could make driving the carreterra a much more pleasant prospect, all things considered.
Think of the Sunday afternoon traffic coming back from the South Side. I don't think anybody would miss it. Lizzy

There's no land for a bypass. Besides, all the delivery trucks wouldn't use one if it existed. The plan to widen has been in place for years. Maybe now there's money to do it?

Could be?
There is a presidential election coming up soon....
Anything could happen! Lizzy

don't see much alternative with traffic on the increase... cross your fingers, hope for the best... it might not be all bad

some new developement might be a good thing... roadside parking certainly could be improved... sometimes you can see delivery trucks stopped along the roadside, that look like they are going to fall over...

they might even put some light bulbs in the traffic lights!!

Will that make El Barco a drive thru?

I give up.... What does make El Barco a drive thru? Lizzy

Ummm... a road that goes through it?

No drive- bys' favor.

This, folks, is Mexico. When they widen the carretera through downtown Ajijic, I can tell you from much experience in Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Yucatan states that what will happen is all sorts of vehicles including delivery trucks and anybody who needs to stop and double park for a "Mexican" brief "momentito" will at least partially block the right lane in both directions which means that drivers passing by will be abruptly changing lanes carelessly and there will be many anxious moments transiting the Ajijic central district on the carretera. As a note of encouragement, allow me to assure those of you who have not driven extensively in Southern Mexico where this sort of risky driving is commonplace, after a while you get used to it and become quite adept at dodger driving and casual horn blowing. I guess the state can minimize this problem by issuing copious parking tickets but I´ll be willing to bet that four lanes or, more likely two lanes with wide shoulders and street parking, will do absolutely nothing to alleviate traffic congestion and will probably make it worse. We already drive through village back streets to cross Ajijic and rarely shop downtown because of the traffic congestion and difficulty of finding parking so, as other locals follow our lead and avoid the area, Downtown Ajijic, as with so many U.S. small towns, may just dry up and become a rustic reminder of some distant point in the past. Who cares, really as we have the new mall and the WalMart and whatever lies down the road to replace an area that has become an anachronism. This has happened in countless U.S. towns and suburban malls and fast food drive throughs are thriving while old downtowns have become instant slums. Every dawg has his day. I see a great future for whitebread neocolonial enclaves of midwestern refugees driving their cars or golfcarts to convenient mega-shopping centers and strip malls and the development of countless home delivery businesses, including fancy food takeout, for nearly every consumer good with special passes to all those suburban and exurban heavily guarded limited access retirement enclaves so there will be no reason to ever visit Mexico at all here in a highly socially stratified Ajijic retirement paradise and visits to all parts of Mexico can be by buses crammed with old folks who could otherwise ogle the exotics on a new sort of HD Oasis TV Channel featuring human settlements and natural wonders and maybe even simulated drug cartel/federal police shootouts.

Dawg- Just exactly what I was going to say! Lizzy- El Barco has a bar out side on the north side of the carreterra. You can sit there and watch for fenderbenders. The best days are when the puppy salesman is working. With a widened road, this bar is about where an aggressive hitchiker would stand. Don't fall off your barstool.

Hey, Walter. Your avatar (Jeff Dunham's ventriloquist dummy "Walter") looks a LOT like that nut minister that announced the end of the world last weekend. Look up his photo and see for yourself.

The rumor of widening the road existed before I moved here 10 years ago. Since then they have done at least 2 surveys of the road with no results seen. Much of the road will remain the same as it is already 4 lanes wide, example La Floresta area.. The only portion traveling from west to east where buildings will be demolished is from Las Casitas motel thru the stores on the right farther up and from the stores on the Post Office side to Ajijic Clinic who will lose it's front parking.

The businesses who built into the Federal Zone were given provisional (temporary) permits to build and they expect their buildings to be bulldozed. They will be paid by the Mexican government.

That sounds pretty straightforward, John. Might I ask where your info came from? Lizzy

bobnliz wrote:That sounds pretty straightforward, John. Might I ask where your info came from? Lizzy

My information came from my Mexican Physical Therapist who was born in Ajijic and has lived here all his life. Pretty reliable info I'd say compared to Gringo opinions on this or any other blog.

This isn't a "blog" John. It's a Web Board. It makes me wonder how many other misconceptions you harbor.

What is a Blog anyways?

I dunno any of this Puter Lingo...

From Wikipedia:

A blog (a blend of the term web log)[1] is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

What is a Blog anyways?

I dunno any of this Puter Lingo...

Loved the Wikipedia definition of a blog. I've always thought of them as online diaries or journals. Can't quite get my head around this current need for everything and every move to be public...whatever happened to personal privacy?

What personal privacy?
The other day I was checking out a political site; went to the "register" page, and before I could type anything... up popped my avatar!
My computer, or the server I guess, had taken upon itself to try to predict my wishes. What unmitigated gall! Lizzy

John:

Admittedly year 6 was kind of a short one and then you rapidly drifted into year 7. Now it appears that years 8 and 9 were passed by because 10 years sounded better. How many times does the Mexican Physical Therapist credibility have to be shot down?

bobnliz wrote:What personal privacy?
The other day I was checking out a political site; went to the "register" page, and before I could type anything... up popped my avatar!
My computer, or the server I guess, had taken upon itself to try to predict my wishes. What unmitigated gall! Lizzy

Wow! That's scary!...and a good reason to limit personal information given out on a forum. Who knows how it will be used. Ain't nuthin' sacred anymore.