Guadalajara city hall has installed a new police station to ward off criminals plaguing Guadalajara’s glitziest zone around Avenida Chapultepec, known as the Zona Rosa or Pink Zone.
Pressure on city authorities to act has been growing amid reports from neighbors about a spate of robberies in colonias Americana and Lafayette.
The new station opened this week is located at the corner of Libertad and Colonias, a stone’s throw from the U.S. Consulate General. It will be staffed 24 hours a day and can be reached in case of emergency at (33) 3825-1893.
Considered by many to be the showpiece street in Guadalajara, Chapultepec boasts a wide, tree-lined boulevard and is home to many trendy cafes, bars and restaurants. The establishments give the avenue a European feel that attracts both tourists and locals alike.
Businesses affected by crime are not the Pink Zone’s only problem.
Just ten months since Chapultepec received a major makeover, tiles along the central walkway are already cracking, lampposts have folded over and graffiti is widespread.
The banging and scraping from the construction of two new apartment blocks has also provides a far from relaxing soundtrack to a stroll down the central isle.
And, as anyone who has driven along the street recently can attest, the holes in the road are treacherous and more suited to an out-of-town dirt track than to one of Guadalajara’s prime locations.
Some signs explaining the statues of Ignacio L. Vallarta and Mariano Otero, located at the intersection of Chapultepec and Vallarta, are also missing.
As usual, the issue seems to be about whom should pay for the repairs. Guadalajara’s municipal government seems to think that the construction company is responsible. After all, it is less than a year since the work was completed. The company, on the other hand, argues that the construction issues are not their fault and were caused by the fierce rays of the sun!
A ray of light in the long term is that many people seem to be taking seriously the suggestion that Chapultepec should be pedestrianized permanently, or at least each weekend.
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