Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – With the possibility of more protests in Puerto Vallarta on Friday, business organizations are insisting on the need for dialogue between authorities and protestors regarding vehicle verification and emissions tests. The protests have led to roadblocks, which have disrupted traffic and caused inconvenience for locals and tourists with new protests expected on Friday morning.
The president of Coparmex, Juan Pablo Martínez Torres, and Arnulfo Ortega Contreras, president of the business coordinating council, has reiterated the call for dialogue to resolve the issue and end the inconvenience caused by the protests. They have urged both the municipal and state governments to assume responsibility to prevent blockades on Friday.
Both business leaders agree that peaceful demonstrations are necessary and have reiterated the call for authorities to engage in dialogue to find a solution. Martinez Torres also highlighted the negative effects of the protests on over 600 tourists who had scheduled flights on March 31. The blockade, which was in force for almost seven hours, caused problems for over thirty flights and damaged the image of Puerto Vallarta, where tourism is the main economic activity.
Moreover, the roadblocks have affected workers, students, professionals, and service providers who cannot reach their workplaces or attend to their clients when traffic becomes blocked. The open flow of traffic and commerce is vital to the economy in Puerto Vallarta and neighboring municipalities.
The protestors are against recent changes to vehicle inspections in the State of Jalisco which require emissions testing to combat pollution and climate change. Protestors claim that emissions tests do not help with pollution, and the cost of the inspection is too high and is only used to pad the budget of the State with another tax on car owners. Some also claim that the emissions tests have damaged their vehicles and that the staff is not sufficiently trained.
The government claims that the protests are organized by the mechanics union and want the system to return to the status quo where independent mechanics were able to perform vehicle inspections, as to where the new law moves inspections to state-run facilities. The government says that mechanics were selling verification stickers on the black market and giving decals to vehicles that failed the inspection but were bribed by car owners. The state claims the protests are about mechanics wanting to keep the inspections to line their pockets, which is the same accusation the protestors make against the state.
