Oaxaca Travel Guide

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Admin
Oaxaca Travel Guide

Oaxaca Travel Guide

Hertz, Alamo, Europcar, City and Only car rental companies in Oaxaca, are options; but the downsides of renting a car, van or motorcycle in Oaxaca often outweigh the benefits. One must consider traffic and parking, Oaxacan drivers on the road, the implications of an accident, police enforcement of traffic violations, and the cost and convenience of alternate transportation.

Traffic and Parking

Parking in downtown Oaxaca is an issue. Some hotels and bed & breakfasts do not offer free parking, though most have arrangements with nearby lots. Many of the lots close at 10 or 11 pm, which can cut into a planned late night out. Legal street parking is often difficult to find.

Traffic congestion is an ongoing issue, with double parking, lack of police enforcement relating to parking, and frequent road closures due to construction, parades, and marching teachers, cab drivers, and other interest groups. It is not uncommon to be stuck in traffic, without being able to move, for ten minutes or more. Knowing one’s way around the streets helps sometimes, depending on the severity of the problem.

Street configurations were altered in Oaxaca in 2006, with a view to alleviating congestion at several major intersections. But without experience as to how to use the vueltas inglesas (English turns), the unsuspecting can find himself facing oncoming traffic.

Training of Oaxacan Drivers

Most drivers in Oaxaca have had no professional training respecting the proper use of a motor vehicle. State law provides that one can obtain a driver’s license, at age 18, without an eye test, without a road test and without a written test.

Conceivably, and in accordance with the law, there are drivers on the streets of Oaxaca who a week earlier had never even been in a car, let alone driven one --- legally licensed to drive. One must therefore consider that no matter how defensive and well trained an American or Canadian driver in Oaxaca might be, that is often little consolation when considering the dirver in the other lane.

Accidents in Oaxaca

Having insurance helps only so much. One must consider that in Oaxaca insurance is optional, and even with insurance the implications of getting in an accident are serious.