Crossing the road in Mérida can be hazardous to the the health unless you take great care. First, there are many busy roads where there are no obvious places for pedestrians to safely cross. Sometimes you may have to walk a considerable distance to find a reltively safe area. Don’t be fooled by the broad horizontal yellow stripes on place on the road along with a sign depicting a man walking. To the uninitiated theses appear like pedestrian crossings. They are not. These are uniformly ignored by motorists and appear to serve no purpose other than to put unsuspecting tourists at risk of being flattened.

There are some safe pedestrian crossings at intersections governed by traffic lights and pedestrian signals. However it is still a good idea to be alert as not all drivers respect the pedestrian right of way especially when turning right. A particularly egregious pedestrian crossing is near Costco in the north of the city where there are traffic lights and pedestrian signals – but only for one side of the median. Getting to the other side is like Russian roulette as the traffic volume is intense.

It is advisable to exercise extreme caution crossing any and all roads.

Cuidado!