Santa Cruz Taxi Stand Location Sparks Dispute

A new dispute has emerged in Santa Cruz, just ten days after the City Council started removing the bike lane on El Pilar, Méndez Núñez, and Villalba Hervás streets. The plan is to replace it with 160 new parking spots for various uses, including loading, motorcycles, disabled parking, and bus and taxi stops. This time, the controversy comes from local taxi drivers.

La Gremial, a prominent taxi association and the second-largest group on the city's Taxi Board, has asked the Mobility department to move the newly designated taxi stand near the Inside hotel. They argue it's "ineffective" for both drivers and passengers because it's located 30 meters from the hotel, hidden behind motorcycle parking and a bus stop.

Zebenzuí Pérez, president of La Gremial, explained that in November, they had an agreement with Councilor Evelyn Alonso. This agreement stated that once the El Pilar bike lane was gone, taxis would get their old stop back at the intersection with Plaza del Príncipe. However, after a meeting in late December between the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, and the larger taxi association, Élite Taxi (which followed protests), the city council decided to split the stop into two. While La Gremial agrees with one section at the corner of Suárez Guerra, they strongly object to the second, "most important" section being 30 meters from the hotel, calling it useless for both drivers and customers.

Pérez further pointed out that this stop is not only far from the hotel but also hidden behind motorcycle parking and a bus stop, making taxis invisible. He condemned Élite Taxi's role in this change, demanding an explanation. La Gremial has formally asked the city council to "put the taxi back where it should be" and adjust the signs so the stop is directly below the hotel.

However, the local councilor, Evelyn Alonso, stated that no further changes would be made to the El Pilar taxi stop. She confirmed that the stop near the Inside hotel, which has nine spaces, will remain in its current location.

Alonso explained that the Mobility department initially proposed a single taxi stop for the hotel, not two as it is now. This plan was changed at Élite Taxi's request after their meeting with the mayor. She added that the updated plans were presented to all taxi associations, including La Gremial, at a Taxi Board meeting in early January, and no one raised any objections at that time.

Alonso clarified that the "initial proposal" La Gremial refers to predates both the last Taxi Board meeting and the meeting between Élite Taxi and the mayor, where a change to the entire stop in front of the hotel was requested. She stated that the Mobility department explained that this specific section couldn't be used solely by taxis due to existing hotel loading zones and the bus stop directly above it. The current layout was then presented and accepted, and therefore, it will stay as it is.

Regarding the bike lane removal, Alonso confirmed that the work is nearly finished, with only vertical signs and traffic light adjustments remaining. Addressing a question from the Vox political group about why some areas were chipped and others asphalted, she explained that this was necessary to remove old road markings. This process, called pavement milling, requires restoring the road surface afterward to ensure it's smooth and even.

The new layout has increased parking in the city center, specifically between Plaza Weyler and Calle La Marina. The new spaces are divided as follows: 35 for loading and unloading (residents can use these from 6 PM to 8 AM), 91 for motorcycles, 10 for specific organizations (like hotels or clinics), 6 for people with reduced mobility (PRM), 9 for taxis, 1 for personal mobility vehicles (PMV, like scooters and bikes), and 2 bus stops.

To accommodate these changes, the road space has been reallocated: 222 meters for loading/unloading (providing 30-43 spaces), 137 meters for motorcycles (91 spaces), 47 meters for taxis (9 spaces), 42 meters for bus stops (2 stops), 42 meters for PRM (6 spaces), 15 meters for PMV, and 96 meters for reserved parking for organizations (10 spaces).

Specifically, the reserved parking spaces are: two for the Institute of Hemodonation, one for Ortomecano orthopedics, one for the Parque children's center, three for ambulances at the Parque clinic, one for the Príncipe Paz hotel, and two for the Inside hotel.

Ultimately, the City Council is dismantling the central cycling network after a court order halted the work. This order came after a complaint from the El Perenquén neighborhood association, which successfully challenged the original Mobility ordinance.