**Expansion of “Chocolate Cars” and Foreign Vehicle Influx Cause Traffic Congestion in Tijuana**
Tijuana faces escalating traffic congestion due to the combined effects of extending the regularization of “chocolate cars,” the influx of vehicles from Southern California tourists, and the lack of sufficient road infrastructure. Gina Arana, President of the Urban Mobility Commission, has highlighted that overpopulation is a significant contributing factor.
Arana pointed out that this situation severely affects residents who need to travel from distant areas to the city center, with commute times sometimes exceeding 40 minutes due to heavy traffic. She noted, “There is a significant vehicular load. Firstly, due to the large number of vehicles owned by Tijuana residents, and secondly, post-pandemic, more than 140,000 U.S. residents are now living in Tijuana, each adding another vehicle. Additionally, the decree on irregular cars has played its part.”
The federal decree for the regularization of foreign vehicles since January 19, 2022, intended to legalize vehicles already in the city, has turned into a quasi-permanent program. This unexpected extension has contributed to increasing the number of vehicles on the roads.
**Additional Related News**
New Measures to Tackle Tijuana Traffic Issues
Recently, additional measures have been considered to alleviate Tijuana’s traffic woes. The local government is exploring options to enhance road infrastructure and public transport systems. There are proposals to introduce new bus routes and expand existing ones to offer more alternatives to car travel.
Moreover, there are discussions about increasing cross-border collaboration with Southern California to manage the influx of vehicles more effectively. Priority is given to smoothing out the logistics of border crossings to minimize traffic delays, especially for daily commuters.
**Border Crossing Times Regularized**
In an effort to further ease traffic congestion, the Secretariat of Government has instructed the National Institute of Migration (INM) to expedite border crossing processes. More lanes have been opened for pedestrian crossing at San Ysidro, which is expected to reduce vehicular backlog significantly.
Stay tuned for more updates on TJGringo.com as we continue to cover these developments and their impact on Tijuana’s infrastructure and residents.