Juarez City.- In Ciudad Juárez, deaths due to accidents involving public transport trucks and personnel have reached alarming levels in the last year.
The General Coordination of Road Safety reported a total of 444 accidents in 2023, while so far this year there are 226. While the number of deaths corresponding to the current year is 10, a figure that contrasts with the 8 registered throughout 2023.
Among the recent victims is the married couple Mario P. and Vanessa S., who died in a road accident in the early hours of June 18 on Antonio J. Bermúdez Avenue. In the incident, a truck without license plates, with economic number 8920, which provided service to the Align Planta 2 and Datamark maquiladoras, crashed spectacularly into the gray Nissan Versa in which the family was traveling, leaving their seven-year-old son seriously injured. . The minor, who suffered fractures and damage to the abdomen and genitourinary system, has been reported as stable by the State Health Secretariat.
The truck driver, Carlos TR, who fled after the events, later surrendered to the authorities. He is accused of reckless homicide and will spend 12 months in preventive detention in Cereso 3 for the death of the child’s parents and negligent injuries to the minor.
‘Ruterazos’: a constant in the city
Historically, accidents with trucks have been recurrent in the city. In January 2014, a rear-end collision caused by a special transportation route under the “Del Zorro” bridge injured four people. In August 2015, a Line 1–A truck hit one on University Route, resulting in 25 students being injured. On November 1, 2016, the lack of driving skills of a personnel transport driver caused an accident that injured 16 workers. In October 2018, a 15-year-old student died and 33 passengers were injured when a truck on the Juárez Oasis Km 30 line tried to overtake a train. In August 2021, two accidents caused by excessive speed in a period of 12 hours left 33 passengers injured on Paseo de la Victoria and the Díaz Ordaz viaduct.
The obsolete public transportation fleet, which is used daily by some 241,000 citizens, along with mechanical failures and lack of technology, exacerbates the situation. More than three thousand personnel trucks operate in the city, transporting 75 thousand workers in the maquiladora sector. The Secretary General of the Government, Santiago de la Peña, pointed out that in the city there are around two thousand irregular personnel transport units, which include those that do not comply with the permitted age and the “pirates.”
Responsibility and future measures
After the recent tragedy in which a couple died and a minor was hospitalized, the municipal president, Cruz Pérez Cuéllar, stated “that the industry assumes its responsibility, that the State Government assumes its responsibility and that we all assume the responsibility that we owe.” corresponds.”
Since last July, dealers had a period of 90 days to modernize the fleet. However, until January 2024, no modernized vehicles have been reported in circulation. The new Transportation Law of the State of Chihuahua, approved on July 12, 2022, limits the age of service vehicles to 10 years for taxis in towns of less than 150,000 inhabitants and for the transportation of personnel throughout the state. In Ciudad Juárez, of 412 routes, 82 percent, that is, 337 trucks, are over 10 years old. To facilitate modernization, dealers can access credits of up to 250 thousand pesos for the purchase of new vehicles, with a state fund of 120 million pesos destined for this purpose, under a fixed interest rate of 12 percent and without commissions. by opening.
More than a month after the start of BRT-2 operations
After more than a month of testing the BRT–2 or Juárez Bus, a quick survey conducted by El Diario reflected mixed opinions. Some users highlighted the comfort and improvement in the city’s image, while others pointed out difficulties such as the distance to travel to access the units.
Their comments were the following: “I use it frequently and the truth is that it is very helpful”, “it is only good if you live near the Tecnológico or your destination is close to the Tecnológico… hopefully not, but most likely it is that they will abandon it like the BRT-1”, “I have no other option, yes, very fresh, but I continue walking two kilometers to be able to take it”, “which ones? The Poniente Sur trucks were more efficient,” “they give a better image to the city than the third world garbage transportation trucks.”
The BRT-2 has also faced incidents, with 14 accidents recorded since its inception: 9 in May and 5 in June. On May 19, two Juárez Bus trucks collided sideways due to the limited space in the confined lane on Tecnológico Avenue and Simona Barba Street, in front of the Technological Institute of Ciudad Juárez. On May 30, a Juárez Bus Transportation System truck (economic number T-096) and a Lázaro Line 2 truck (economic number 505) collided when the route invaded the confined lane. Last Wednesday, unit T-054 of the Juárez Bus was collided on Manuel Gómez Morín Boulevard by a Nissan Sentra, which cut off traffic. Currently, 35 late model Mercedes Benz trucks and 16 dealer trucks are in operation.
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