LVSteve
Member
Oh boy, what fun that can be in Mexico.
First off are the roads. The surface varies depending on where you live. Great in a nice neighbourhood, but clearly used for runway denial munition testing in others. In the cities there are huge one way systems with some "imaginative" cloverleaf access ramps that are so tight I swore the F250 long-bed in front was going to get wedged. How/if an 18-wheeler gets through I have no clue. They also LOVE speed humps over there in the small streets. I guess it is to cut down on high speed rat running.
Out in the boonies you will also find speed bumps. Huh? In one spot I realised that the local authorities had tried to lower the speed limit because of the trucks going in and out of a local industrial facility and to give the villagers a fighting chance at crossing the road. Given that speed limits are as effective as lane markings in Mexico, speed humps became the answer. You need to keep your eyes peeled as the yellow paint on them has now worn off and they can be hard to spot.
Lane striping? Err, sometimes, Senor. Otherwise it's every man and woman for themselves. Pointless anyway as everybody is busy dodging the bomb craters to save their wheels and tyres. Saw VERY few cars with big rims and low profile tyres, best example being a Mercedes ML55 AMG with what looked like 16" rims and balloon tyres.
Did you know there is no such thing as jaywalking in Mexico? It's just called "crossing the road". Apparently Mexican physics education is very good as nobody believes that the pedestrian is invulnerable, unlike in the US. So, at some intersections in the city you will see a pedestrian cycle, when no traffic moves, only people. Great idea, but it won't fly in the US where idiot legislators still refer to pedestrian traffic.
Gas is expensive given the income level, 16.2 pesos/liter or about $3.50 a gallon. Consequently you see mostly small cars, the Nissan Tsuru and Versa seem to dominate, although there are a lot of Volkswagen Jettas, too. Familiar cars look different in Mexico as they all have at least another inch of ground clearance. Remember the speed humps?
Driving standards are.....variable. My one taxi ride came with the Disney E++++ ticket. Having your cellphone in your hand while driving appears obligatory. Turn signal use is poor even by Vegas/DFW standards. Those who are using them belong to the GABB. (God-almightly blinker brigade). There are no vehicle inspections in Mexico, so every tenth car/truck/SUV has only one or no brakelights. Just like driving around Vegas, actually.
The Easter break was in full swing so various LE crews were everywhere, and this is normal to remind visitors to the city to behave. To confuse visitors even more they run with their flashing lights on at all times. Only if the sirens come on are you required to get out of the way. One laconic host suggested that the real reason is to get the dope dealers a chance to fade away before the LEOs got a view of their activities. My fiance saw some snipers walk right down a large shopping area before disappearing into a tall building. Guess they were on overwatch for that popular area.
First off are the roads. The surface varies depending on where you live. Great in a nice neighbourhood, but clearly used for runway denial munition testing in others. In the cities there are huge one way systems with some "imaginative" cloverleaf access ramps that are so tight I swore the F250 long-bed in front was going to get wedged. How/if an 18-wheeler gets through I have no clue. They also LOVE speed humps over there in the small streets. I guess it is to cut down on high speed rat running.
Out in the boonies you will also find speed bumps. Huh? In one spot I realised that the local authorities had tried to lower the speed limit because of the trucks going in and out of a local industrial facility and to give the villagers a fighting chance at crossing the road. Given that speed limits are as effective as lane markings in Mexico, speed humps became the answer. You need to keep your eyes peeled as the yellow paint on them has now worn off and they can be hard to spot.
Lane striping? Err, sometimes, Senor. Otherwise it's every man and woman for themselves. Pointless anyway as everybody is busy dodging the bomb craters to save their wheels and tyres. Saw VERY few cars with big rims and low profile tyres, best example being a Mercedes ML55 AMG with what looked like 16" rims and balloon tyres.
Did you know there is no such thing as jaywalking in Mexico? It's just called "crossing the road". Apparently Mexican physics education is very good as nobody believes that the pedestrian is invulnerable, unlike in the US. So, at some intersections in the city you will see a pedestrian cycle, when no traffic moves, only people. Great idea, but it won't fly in the US where idiot legislators still refer to pedestrian traffic.
Gas is expensive given the income level, 16.2 pesos/liter or about $3.50 a gallon. Consequently you see mostly small cars, the Nissan Tsuru and Versa seem to dominate, although there are a lot of Volkswagen Jettas, too. Familiar cars look different in Mexico as they all have at least another inch of ground clearance. Remember the speed humps?
Driving standards are.....variable. My one taxi ride came with the Disney E++++ ticket. Having your cellphone in your hand while driving appears obligatory. Turn signal use is poor even by Vegas/DFW standards. Those who are using them belong to the GABB. (God-almightly blinker brigade). There are no vehicle inspections in Mexico, so every tenth car/truck/SUV has only one or no brakelights. Just like driving around Vegas, actually.
The Easter break was in full swing so various LE crews were everywhere, and this is normal to remind visitors to the city to behave. To confuse visitors even more they run with their flashing lights on at all times. Only if the sirens come on are you required to get out of the way. One laconic host suggested that the real reason is to get the dope dealers a chance to fade away before the LEOs got a view of their activities. My fiance saw some snipers walk right down a large shopping area before disappearing into a tall building. Guess they were on overwatch for that popular area.
