By Francisco Peyret
To deal with urban growth and mobility problems, municipal and state governments have developed Comprehensive Plans for the most important cities in Mexico with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
Implementing these plans is complex, since there are many social and productive actors impacted when it comes to applying measures to improve the mobility of a city: the area’s residents, companies, businesses, public services, schools, carriers, and various suppliers.
In San Miguel de Allende we have to include tourists and tourism services to these actors, which is further complicated in high seasons and weekends.
During the last month —while entering into the economic recovery and due to growth of the city—the inhabitants of the municipality have experienced every day more stress when traveling through downtown and the most populated neighborhoods. For a few years now, implementing a mobility plan allowing citizens to continue enjoying the heritage city, which includes all cultural and traditional activities as well as social and work activities that are mandatory for many, has been imminent.
A Comprehensive Plan for Sustainable Urban Mobility (PIMUS) is a strategic plan designed to meet the mobility needs of people and goods in cities, minimizing the social and environmental costs of the transportation system. The planning principles are based on integration, participation, and evaluation and seek an evidence-based decision process, guided by a long-term vision of sustainable mobility.
Not all states have a mobility law: So far, only 11 states have passed such laws since the first ones were published in 2013 (Jalisco) and 2014 (Mexico City). These laws have been replacing the traditional regulatory scheme of a Transportation Law, which exists in the remaining 21 states. Of those 21 states, it is accompanied by a Traffic Law in 14, a Transportation and Highway Law in 4, and in 3, it is complemented by state or municipal regulations (Céntrico, 2020, unpublished).
The mobility laws have integrated rights, principles, and guidelines that the transportation and transit laws did not have. Mobility Lawa are already recognized by 9 states: Colima, Mexico City (CDMX), Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico State (Edomex), Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, and Sinaloa.
Implementing this type of plan is complex because, directly or indirectly, it affects the entire population: The municipal authorities will have to carry out all the studies that integrating a comprehensive plan requires so that with citizen participation we make the best decisions. From this, great questions arise, such as:
• Should we close more downtown streets?
• What type of public transportation do citizens require to discourage the use of private transportation? Is it feasible to use electric transportation in the city?
• What would the logistics be like to manage public services and supplies for individuals, companies, and businesses located mainly in the Historic Center?
There is no doubt that for the inhabitants of a heritage city like San Miguel, we face a fundamental challenge to solving the problems we currently face in the short term, especially if we want to preserve the quality of life for all.
But there are two issues that are fundamental if we intend to implement a comprehensive mobility plan: We require studies and technical information to help us make the most intelligent solutions. There are highly specialized experts who can help us overcome all our fears and beliefs. Additionally, citizen participation is essential in implementing a plan of this nature, otherwise any attempt to improve the mobility of a city based on experience is a failure.
The main benefits provided by a Comprehensive Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan are: reduction of traffic jams, congestion, noise, air pollution, and accidents. But so is the reduction in the consumption of non-renewable energies and promoting the use of other cleaner energies. And in a world heritage city, the benefit of conserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage must be taken into account.
