Mayor Explains Traffic Light Malfunctions

(Acapulco, 18 October) The traffic light on the busy stretch of Cuauhtémoc in front of Sears has been out of service for over three weeks, and no traffic police have been stationed there to control traffic. This is an important intersection for traffic entering and leaving the “Progreso” neighborhood. Curiously, the matter was thought important enough that the mayor should provide a public explanation. In a somewhat Delphic pronouncement, Mayor José Luis Ávila Sánchez said that the light is out of action “due to a failure” and that it is “under repair” and that it will be “ready very soon.” He added that several other lights in the city are blinking because they are near road construction projects, and there is no reason to try to regulate traffic flow when, essentially, there is none. Mayor Ávila Sánchez asked for patience from the public, “because we are close to the end of the projects, so that the people can get their road system back,” implying that at some time in the past the road system worked without obstacles and impediments. The Mayor further explained that blinking yellows are used only for intersections affected by a construction project. They are not used to increase the speed of traffic circulation. This is different from former mayor Añorve's explanation that on the Costera, at least, the blinking yellows are used to make traffic flow more freely, and that every intersection in the busier sections will be on blinking yellow for certain hours of the day.