In the past few days, bus stops have been appearing in Antigua Guatemala! Up until now, buses have basically stopped to pickup passengers anywhere on their routes. Firstly, it causes congestion, especially in the narrow streets of Antigua and secondly by suddenly stopping to pickup passengers, accidents have often occurred. It’s a real bugbear for drivers in Guatemala and especially in the evermore congested streets of Antigua. Honestly, I never expected to see a change.
So, I was surprised to see a post on the Facebook page of the City Hall of Antigua Guatemala mentioning the news! There, you can check to see all the locations of the bus stops in and around Antigua. Let’s hope they have some protection from both rain and sun for the people waiting for buses.
But actually, it was the sight of workers painting yellow lines in 7th Calle that intrigued me. A policeman who was overseeing their work spoke with me. He explained that mainly at junctions along the bus routes in the centre of Antigua these yellow lines and the official bus stops will be the only place where buses can stop. No more inching along the narrow streets picking up passengers. Frankly, I said that I did’t think that the bus drivers would respect the new law. To which he said that the transit police would be giving out fines. It’s true to say that under the new Mayor, there seem to be many more police on the streets. I can’t help thinking that giving out parking fines is firstly a great way to pay for these police and secondly a great way to bring needed revenue into City Hall.
Well, bus stops appearing in Antigua Guatemala is a new reality. I can’t wait to see if the new system works!
For those of you visiting Antigua by car be warned. If you park on a yellow line, you probably will be fined. This is also the case if you park on a red line. Blue lines are for deliveries and for handicapped drivers. and white lines are only for motorcyclists! Oh, and don’t forget to buy a parking permit!
