Traffic in Mexico

Well, we are very lucky in our area "La Peñita de Jaltemba", walking distance to all services  (500m to 2km) groceries, fish, Meat, general stores.

Also walking distance to many restaurants, central camionera with the rebate of INAPAM CARD 50%.

No much traffic except on holidays being on the ocean (Easter the worse).

Also, lots of people on Thursday market in winter NOTB visitors.

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Which city or area do you live in in Mexico, and how do you find the traffic?

How long does it take to commute to work or run errands?

Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to avoid driving if they can?

Are there any ways to avoid spending too much time in traffic in Mexico?

What is parking availability and cost like?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

I live in the yucatan , Campeche area
Traffic can be very dense at times of the day. Part of that is school drop off and pick up.
Sunday is quite easy where I live , otherwise who knows.

Merida can be very heavy and time consuming. Sunday does not save you there if you need the main drag, because they close it on Sunday to allow for bike and walking traffic. Nice Idea, until you see what that does to traffic on other streets.
Stores for the most part are not open until 11, with the exceptions of quick shops like oxxo , and Markets. That frees up the morning commute in Campeche.

What's different about many of the cities besides the size is what happens in those cities. Cancun can be fast and chaotic, but the roads in the hotel zone are well maintained. Merida is slower, but the roads are not as good, Campeche has tiny old narrow streets, some in good shape, and some not

I would say that the rush hours in many cities are from 7 to 9, and again from 12 to 2 mostly because of schools. Everyone times their travel time around schools.

Parking is horrible in many places. It seems to have been an afterthought in many Mexican cities. There is just not enough anywhere I have been, and I have travelled over much of Mexico.
Liverpool has paid parking , even some markets have paid parking, and in Cancun it might be better to just walk there if you can, or take a bus. Driving is always easier when you are very familiar. Familiarity is where you learn the back roads and shortcuts, there are no maps to inform you of them.

Cancun has paid parking in some areas, which is almost always full. Some businesses have reserved areas for customers, and many guys have made a business out of helping people park. The going rate seems to be 10pesos an hour in most paid spots. Or you can drive around looking for a spot and spend 10 pesos on gas perhaps.

wow, occasionally I see not one but two horse-drawn wagons passing at the same time in front of my house.  lol ........Obviously, when I have to drive to Acapulco, I am overwhelmed.

Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Which city or area do you live in in Mexico, and how do you find the traffic?

How long does it take to commute to work or run errands?

Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to avoid driving if they can?

Are there any ways to avoid spending too much time in traffic in Mexico?

What is parking availability and cost like?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

I do not use buses as a habit, I did try it initially, but having a car and driving is not only cheaper if you are traveling town to town but more interesting. Especially if you figure in other issues like standing and waiting. When I tried it there was a 200 peso charge to go to Merida in a deluxe bus. I thought I could sit and watch the scenery, but I actually could see nothing. When I got there I needed a taxi to get  to the hotel. So there was a 230 peso cost in total and it wasn't any fun.  I can fill my car on 500 pesos, drive to Merida, and back and around town for a few days before needing more gas. So no more busses for me. My friend uses busses some of the time, he has a truck so its cheaper for him.

Driving around buses is another story. They have rules of their own in every country I have been, and Mexico is no exception. When the passengers are on, they pull out period. You have to be careful around them or you could be hit. Not as bad as scooters and motos, but much larger.Taxies can also be an aggressive road hazard. All of these affect driving and walking, so you do deal with them one way or the other. As well as other drivers.

Taxis can be useful and here they are fairly economical so if necessary, they are easy to get and reasonable. In Merida they are more expensive, but still fairly reasonable. Cancun taxies are extremely expensive. Uber ? Cheaper I hear, but I have also read some pretty scary reports of crime with people who hacked Uber and made the pickup instead.

Then there is walking , I live in an area where I am pretty close to stores I want to go to,  some of the time I skip the traffic and walk, all benefit no cost. It depends on what you plan to do, if you will have lots of packages, a car or taxi would be your best bet.

Living in the small pueblo de La Misión de San Miguel, BCN, there is constant traffic.  Like the United States, business is spaced with the assumption that customers will be driving.  Even so, there are no rush hours and only briefly ethereal traffic jams.
We just returned from the weekly outdoor market in the village center.  This is the best place to buy fruits and vegetables as well as to see almost everyone.  Most of the local population had walked there, but, even so, the available parking is characteristically tight.  That is because there are no Wal-Mart style parking lots.  Parking is where ever the narrow streets filled with dogs, children and pedestrians allow.  Additionally, there are the common, extended conversations between the two cars blocking the already limited routes but, these are seldom seriously problematic.  Everyone just waits then waves as the friendly chat concludes.  I am confident that the participants leisurely drive onward until stopping for the next conversation.

Hi I have lived in Cancun for 4 years  Traffic can be touch and go. At rush hour be ready to wait at the many lights.  Patience is a virtue.  Depends where you want to go and when. Sometimes the buses are more convenient. Avoid going between 7 and 8 am. Or between 5 and 7  in afternoon if you have to go then expect to wait. Hope this helps.  Most of the locals are crazy bad drivers. Everyone in a hurry to beat everyone else

Living in the colonial World Heritage city of San Miguel de Allende is a traffic challenge because the streets are cobblestone, narrow, and we have no traffic lights or signs.  Every corner requires you to be alert and take your turn while watching out for pedestrians who have the right of way.  Rush hour intensifies the crowding but being retired I can wait until everyone gets to work.  The buses are an inexpensive alternative to driving and the bus drivers are quite amazing the way they maneuver the narrow streets and get their large vehicles around corners.  I am fortunate to live just a 15 minute walk to Centro so I walk often and keep my car in the garage.  The walk is up and down since San Miguel is in the Central mountains of Mexico and this provides healthy exercise which I did not get in the US city I left behind.

We live in the Iztapalapa area of Mexico City. We do not drive, but take taxis' the Metro and the occasional bus.

The traffic is simply horrendous and/or scary. The trains are almost away packed and standing room only; but they are frequent, fast and very inexpensive. Once on-board the train, it is a 20-25 minute ride to the historic center of the city.

Conversely, our neighborhood is simply heaven in terms of walking convenience. Everything needed is no more than a 5-7 minute walk away, and the weather is generally very nice so the walk is a pleasant experience. I also enjoy interacting with the neighbors on my little journeys throughout my environs.

The busy traffic is only a concern when wanting to go to the center of the city for business or entertainment. Otherwise it is a non-issue for my spouse and I as we are retired; the traffic is part of the excitement of living in this wonderful city.

Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Which city or area do you live in in Mexico, and how do you find the traffic?

How long does it take to commute to work or run errands?

Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to avoid driving if they can?

Are there any ways to avoid spending too much time in traffic in Mexico?

What is parking availability and cost like?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

I live in Baja and generally find traffic going to a street.
I commute about an hour each way for work as far as errands it depends on the errand.
Yes rush hour is from 7:00am to 7:00pm. If I want to avoid driving I will walk.
Yes,you can avoid not spending to much time in traffic primarily by not going anywhere.
Parking is available and cost 10 pesos an hour.
You Are welcome.

Right up front, this question is too broad.  That is like asking what traffic is like in the United States.  The answer is ,”it depends”.

Break the question down.  How can anyone derive any usefulness from a thread of comments that ultimately could contain commentary on every area in Mexico, all jumbled together? If you wanted to know about traffic conditions in Houston, TX, would you want to scroll through postings about all the cities and towns in the U.S. to try and find one about Houston? No. 

Ill concieved and poorly constructed questions aren't helpful to anyone.

mjplatt wrote:

Right up front, this question is too broad.  That is like asking what traffic is like in the United States.  The answer is ,”it depends”.

Break the question down.  How can anyone derive any usefulness from a thread of comments that ultimately could contain commentary on every area in Mexico, all jumbled together? If you wanted to know about traffic conditions in Houston, TX, would you want to scroll through postings about all the cities and towns in the U.S. to try and find one about Houston? No. 

Ill concieved and poorly constructed questions aren't helpful to anyone.

Well, I thought the question more or less met the goal which was not how is the traffic in all of Mexico, or just Guadalajara, but how  are the general traffic conditions where PEOPLE live. 

Are there times it is better to be on the road and times to avoid WHERE YOU LIVE. And how is the PARKING where YOU live.

And exactly how would we all answer about one city, or more importantly why would we all talk about one city only ? I found the information useful because it told me about areas I might travel too compared to where I am and what I know. Everyone using this site isn't going to Houston or Mexico CD, but they my find information about some place they might go.

What I was getting at was to break down the question into multiple questions that address specific areas in Mexico. Perhaps by sate, for example.

mjplatt wrote:

What I was getting at was to break down the question into multiple questions that address specific areas in Mexico. Perhaps by sate, for example.

Ok.  remember if people responded it was interesting enough and clear enough to respond to.. I'm thinking breaking it down more would cause a decrease in interest. I see your point though.

Right, you are getting responses, for sure.  As long as you don't get very many, it won't matter much.  If you accumulate several hundred responses, though, it will require everyone to scroll through the entire thread looking for a specfic place.
Carry on, though.  Not posting to be a wet blanket. The question has merit.  I was just suggesting it could be fine tuned a bit.