News From the Border

Providing the news from a different front but from a war that we must win as well! I recognize the poverty and desperate conditions that many Latinos live in. We, as the USA, have a responsibility to do as much as we can to reach out to aid and assist spiritually with the Gospel and naturally with training, technology and resources. But poverty gives no one the right to break the laws of another sovereign nation.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Driving in Mexico City: Headache grande

Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Photo- Chris Hawley/The Arizona Republic

Nov. 27, 2007 12:00 AM

MEXICO CITY - Thirty minutes into her first driving lesson in Mexico City, Tamara Orendain had navigated a flooded street, a flower vendor, a film shoot, a broken traffic light, three jaywalkers, 10 speed bumps and a London-style traffic circle.

"Watch those stop signs," cautioned driving instructor Victor Farias as Orendain, 17, barreled through another intersection in the world's second-biggest city. "Keep looking forward, always predicting the next pothole or speed bump or person cutting you off."

When it comes to driving, the Mexican capital is a city-size obstacle course, a diabolical combination of 16th-century streets, loose laws and lax maintenance. It's like driving in New York City without rules and in Los Angeles' congestion.

And as Mexicans get more affluent, cars are multiplying. Traffic accidents have hit an all-time high. Now, the city is trying to impose some order with a new traffic code. As a day with Farias shows, it's an uphill battle.

posted by missionaryman | 10:04 AM

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