Only On Cozumel

[kelemvor]

And at least English is not like German, where they just keep stringing words together (seemingly at random) to make longer and longer words - like Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.

Try saying that three times fast!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/De-Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.ogg How about one time slow?

The longest word in English is 189,819 characters long. It's the name of a protien. TITIN - Pastebin.com
The best part of watching him pronounce it is that it takes so long he grows a beard and the plant dies.

So... do I understand correctly that people do not normally stop for red lights in Cozumel or is there something else going on? When I was there last year I drove a rental car and stopped at a few red lights, nobody said or did anything unusual.

 

[El Graduado]

At the light in question, there used to be a sign for the southbound outside (right) lane that said in Spanish "proceed on red with caution." That was because in the intersection was a three-way and there was only a westbound lane entering the north-south lanes and no eastbound lane entering into the intersection. The custom of stopping at such intersections and then proceeding with caution if you are in the or north-southbound lane is the norm in Mexico; if there is no one entering from the east and no way anyone can enter from the west, it's pretty much like "Right turn on red OK." Now, for some reason, the powers that be decided to change the rule for that intersection.

Most people in Cozumel stop for red lights (except for taxis; they are special!)

In Cozumel, the traffic lights are rigged different than most places. In a four-way intersection, there is only one side of the signal showing a green light at any one time. First the southbound lane has green, then the eastbound lane, then the northbound lane, then the westbound lane. They don't trust folks in the southbound lane to have a green light at the same time as the folks in the northbound lane. Someone would turn into the traffic without looking if they wanted to cross the traffic to go east or west.

Right turn on red is OK in Quintana Roo.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Thanks Ric,

Maybe I'll test the waters before jumping in! But I just can't believe the Taxistas will tolerate this…sign will be down within a week.

Dave

 

[Coralcop]

The police have also recently acquired a radar gun. I saw them writing tickets several days on the road near Punta Sur. They even had a taxi stopped.

 

[Pelagicsal]

I read today that the traffic light in question is now equipped with a green arrow light for the right, southbound lane. With any luck, traffic may move even more smoothly there.
(Fingers crossed!)

 

[Dave Dillehay]

As expected, thank the Taxistas!


Dave

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Now there is a cop there telling people to keep driving on! Yep, only in Cozumel

Dave Dillehay

 

[DjDiverDan]

Now there is a cop there telling people to keep driving on! Yep, only in Cozumel

So Cozumeleno taxpayers must foot the bill for: (1) installing and operating a traffic light; (2) buying and installing a sign telling drivers that they must stop on a red light; AND (3) paying a policeman to stand at the intersection to tell drivers to ignore BOTH the light AND the sign and keep going. Will someone please explain to me why government is so much better than anarchy?

 

[ggunn]

I was just there last week. Traffic was stopping or turning right at the northbound red light, and stopping momentarily and then proceeding at the southbound one.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

As of today... The southbound red light now has an adjacent green arrow indicating that it is OK to proceed but not make a left turn. The cop is there to "retrain" drivers. This red light/green arrow situation exists when northbound traffic has a green light to proceed. The green arrow is off when crossing traffic from Calle 11 has a green light and makes sense.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers