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The information provided in all Mexican pages are only suggestions and anecdotal stories. The information in the Mexican pages is a generic peace of work and is meant only as a general guide, it should not be taken as absolute fact. The information provided in these pages can change at any given day.
Caution signs (sharp curve, steep hill, and town near) are conventional diamond-shaped yellow signs. Stops signs are supposed to be shaped and colored like US signs (bright red, white letters on an octagon plate) but in rural areas, you may find faded and peeling "ALTO" hand painted on an almost-red lid of a fifty-five gallon drum, tacked to a tree (up in the branches). Gasoline station "Distance To" advisories are posted on the outskirts of town advising motorists of the number of kilometers until the next station (but no guarantee that it has gas). White on blue (international symbol) signs announces services such as restaurants, mechanics, and hospitals. Legends explaining international symbol signs are found in most travel publications and highway maps of México. Most are self-explanatory but text-only signs should be studied and memorized before you depart. "Ceda El Paso" may make no sense in Denver, but in México, recognition of "Yield Right Of Way" is of the utmost importance. Agua Water Alto When driving through an unfamiliar town always anticipate that the upcoming unmarked intersection will be missing its stop sign. Sometimes vandals steal them, accidents bend them edgewise, or perhaps the road crew borrowed it for a couple of weeks. Sure clues of an intersection to stop at are: a stop sign for oncoming traffic or pronounced skid marks (or shards of broken glass) on the pavement. Regardless if there is a sign or not, treat all intersections with extra caution. Trucks and buses love to park where they block a stop sign from view. Mexican drivers are notorious Stop Sign runners. Some of them engage in a low-speed, rolling "Hollywood Stop" while others charge through at high speed. Note: An Alto sign with a small added sign underneath that says Alto Total tells drivers that if they don't stop they risk even a larger fine if caught (there is usually a cop parked nearby). Alto Total usually signs a frantic intersection. Bomba Pump Ceda El Paso Yield right-of-way. The signs are of triangular shape, red, and black on white. Occasionally you will encounter obstacles on city boulevards known as gloriettas. A glorietta can range from fifty feet in diameter to a piece of land with a hundred-foot statue set on it. In all cases traffic flow revolves Counter-Clockwise around the glorietta (The same rule holds true for plazas and village squares). Most gloriettas these days have modern traffic lights, but others are freewheeling bumper tag arenas. If you get flustered as to which street you need to take (they radiate away from the monument like spokes on a wheel) proceed slowly. Even if you make a faux pas offended drivers will swirl around you without incident. Note: Always assume that the other driver has the right of way (especially in a Glorietta). Guarde su distancia Keep your distance Hombres Trabajando Men at work Llene hasta la última gota Stuff the tank Maneje con Precaución Drive with caution Máquina Trabajando Heavy Machines at work Retorno Return Salida Exit. Si Disminuye su Velocidad Llegará con Seguridad If you Slow Down, you are much likely to actually arrive at your intended destination Si vas a Acelerar Ponte Primero a Pensar If you are going to Accelerate First put a Little Thought into it. Tanque lleno Full Tank Tanque vacío Empty tank Teléfono Telephone Tope Speed bump Utilice su Cinturón de Seguridad Use your seat belt. Buckle up. Routing signs are much more common today than they were ten years ago. It is not unusual to encounter a trail of signs that lead you effortlessly through an urban area to rejoin the highway on the other side of the city. Then again many cities and town mark cross streets with a tiny bronze plaque set onto a wall on a building located on the far corner of an intersection (A co-pilot with binoculars would be an asset). Overhead signs on freeways may be inconveniently placed slightly after the designated turnoff. It's necessary to remain vigilant. Speed limit signs are in Kilometers per hour, but from the way the locals are driving you'd swear that they interpret the signs to read Kilometers Per Minute. Parking signs and traffic flow direction signs can be baffling to the uninitiated. It pays to study "Méxican Signology" before leaving home. Of the minority of RV'ers who encounter a glaring traffic cop, most are for driving the wrong-way on a (clearly marked) one-way street. Camellón Central Central Divider Cruce de Peatones Pedestrian Crossing Precaución Zona Escolar Caution School Zone Prohibido Estacionarse No Parking Se Usará Grúa Tow-away zone Topes Speed Bumps Disminuya la Velocidad Slow Down Doble Sentido means "Two Way Street" and is a sure indication that a one way street is nearby (like the next block). Encruzamiento de Ferrocarrilles Most railroad crossings today are marked with a familiar "wig wag" or X shaped sign. Traffic is supposed to come to a full stop at railroad crossings. After a marked decline in the fate of the Mexican railroad system in the last few years more and more drivers are ignoring this law (a cop can still write a fat ticket for doing so). Estacionamiento This is a great word to practice the pronunciation of español vowels. Es-stah-see-yawn-ah-me-en-toh. Try saying it a few times. When you see it or a large "E" near a parking lot, or space, you'll remember what it stands for parking. A sign with a large E surrounded by a red circle with a diagonal slash means No Parking. Entra y Salida de Camiones Trucks entering and exiting Un Sentido One Way Street (Always accompanied by an arrow, sometimes said as Solo Sentido. Un solo Carril Single Lane Carril Izquierdo solo para Rebasar Left Lane only for Passing Caseta de Cobro Toll Booth Cuota Toll Estacionaminto sólo para Emergencias Emergency parking only Guarde su Distancia Keep your Distance HWY Mex1 : Scenic Road HWY MEX1: Expensive Toll Road No Tire Basura Don't throw trash Transito Lento Carril Derecho Slow Traffic keep Right Zona de Fallas Landslide area Signs for Trucks Cierre su Escape Close mufflers by-pass No Utilizar Freno con Motor No engine braking Ruta de Camiones Truck Route Caution signs (sharp curve, steep hill, and town near) are conventional diamond-shaped yellow signs. Stops signs are supposed to be shaped and colored like US signs (bright red, white letters on an octagon plate) but in rural areas, you may find faded and peeling "ALTO" hand painted on an almost-red lid of a fifty-five gallon drum, tacked to a tree (up in the branches). Gasoline station "Distance To" advisories are posted on the outskirts of town advising motorists of the number of kilometers until the next station (but no guarantee that it has gas). White on blue (international symbol) signs announces services such as restaurants, mechanics, and hospitals. Legends explaining international symbol signs are found in most travel publications and highway maps of México. Most are self-explanatory but text-only signs should be studied and memorized before you depart. "Ceda El Paso" may make no sense in Denver, but in México, recognition of "Yield Right Of Way" is of the utmost importance. Area de Descanso Rest Area Camino Cerrado Road closed Carretera Highway Conceda cambio de luces Dim your lights for oncoming traffic Cuesta Peligrosa Interpret this as "Dangerous Grade". Steep grades are sometimes pictorially signed with a diamond yellow sign showing a car going up (or down) hill. Dangerous grades have claimed multiple lives over the years (one is aptly named "Lucifer's Grade"). Always test my trailer's brakes before going over the crest. Going uphill, anticipate running up on a truck doing three miles per hour (usually well hidden around the next blind curve). Curva Peligrosa "Dangerous Curve". You may see other worse curves before and after this, but someone got hurt or killed to "warrant" the dangerous curve sign. Despacio Slow Despacio Desviación Slow Detour Desviacion Detour. Este Camino no es de Alta Velocidad Not a High Speed Road Grava Suelta Loose Gravel Llantera Backyard tire repair Mirador Scenic view No Deje Piedras sobre el Pavimento Don't leave rocks on the pavement No Rebase Don't pass. When paint stripes are evident a dotted centerline indicates that the paint crew believes that it would be O.K. to pass on this stretch of highway. A solid line (raya continua) indicates no passing allowed in one or both directions. Liberal interpretation is needed here; if you have crested a hill for instance and ahead of you is straight and clear then the solid no-passing centerline is for the benefit of traffic going the other way. Obedesca las Señales Obey the Signs Pipa Chica Bulk Truck Pipa Grande Tank Truck Planta de Gas Bulk Tank Poblado Próximo Town Near. You can bet your last enchilada that you are going to have to reduce your speed when you see one of these signs. Preción Preasure Principia Zona de Derrumbes Begin rockslide area Principia Zona de Vados Begin area of dips Puente Bridge Respeta la Señales Respect the Signs Respete limite de velocidad Respect the speed limit Termina Zona de Derrumbes End rockslide area Tramo en Reparación Road repairs Transito lento carril derecho Slow traffic on the right lane Vado Vados are dry washes that cross the road. The usual indicator is an International Pictorial Sign (yellow diamond) with a bunch of squiggly lines crossing a highway. Vados can fill with flood water from a distant storm in a matter of minutes. Unless you are dead sure (a perfect choice of words) that you can make it across a flooded vado, wait until an impatient diesel semi truck blazes a trail. It is not unusual in the countryside to be driving along a lonely road only to suddenly encounter a pair of alternating flashing red and amber lights stacked on a pole alongside the road. Jamming on the brake pedal you look for a road junction, schoolyard, or crosswalk. Nothing greets the eye or ear except miles of empty highway and the whistling wind. On the shoulder of a ruler-straight section of roadway, you spot a regulation stop sign. You hit the brakes and peer through the windshield. Nada. Two hundred yards further down the road is another and two hundred yards further, yet another. Finally you come to a T-intersection and the last of four regulation stop signs. On a truck clogged two-lane road your partner suddenly yells, "There's the sign for the turnoff!" You brake madly while nervously glancing in the rear view mirror. Deep ditches line both sides of the road. A quarter-mile later, an identical sign complete with arrow -- but there isn't even a burro track to be seen. A third sign leaves you muttering under your breath. You're starting to steam by the time you cruise by the fourth sign but suddenly you spot the side road. You're so relieved to be rid of a tailgating bus after your turn that you almost forget about being so aggravated about the three duplicate (advisory) signs. Ganado Ganado in Spanish means cattle. Mexican cattle roam freely over the range and onto the road. Observing the frequency of skid marks found on an otherwise open and lightly-traveled highway will provide a sobering realization of the frequency of hits and near misses. Many diesel big-caravans/RVs have heavy anti-collision pipe fixtures welded onto the front bumper. Diamond shaped yellow signs with the black silhouette of a horned steer on them are to be taken seriously. Drive an otherwise empty stretch of highway at no more than twenty-five miles per hour if cattle are frequently seen on the shoulder. Realize that standing cattle can't accelerate fast enough to jump right in your path. Zona de Ganado Cattle Area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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