Speed radars reinstalled after deadly crashes; Noboa may stay in office during campaign; City looks at ways to reduce traffic in El Centro; Happy New Year!
Martes, 31/12/2024
Hola, Todos –
Have a happy and safe New Year, and may tomorrow bring you a year full of blessings and free of negativity.
Titular –
Lo que nos dejó el 2024 (What 2024 has left us) – Today’s issue of El Mercurio is a review of the top stories of 2024. <I’m going to celebrate New Year by not translating these articles which were covered in CHL. If you weren’t paying attention last year, you’re not going to get the Cliff Notes version here.>
Despite occasional light rain, Cuencanos turned out en masse Tuesday night to welcome the new year.
De El Mercurio del lunes, 30/12 (1 article):
Un ‘fantasma’ en los mercados (A ‘ghost’ in the markets) – Something ‘huele mal’ (smells bad – your phrase for the day) in the markets. A city contractor, similar to a previous case in the Dirección Municipal de Desarrollo Social, submitted reports with inconsistencies to collect his salary of $1,500 which totals $1,725 after IVA is included. Marco Vinicio Guevara Ortega’s employment contract was in effect from 1/1 to 31/12/2024. His job is to inspect, supervise the stalls, control prices and inspect food handling in the municipal markets, and provide reports. These reports, at least in 2024, showed glaring inconsistencies.
Photos submitted monthly as proof of his work are of markets that weren’t in his reports. Another photo from a 6/5 report showed an administrator in the 12 de Abril market who had quit at the beginning of the year. Other photos were from 2023 or repeated images. People who worked in the 12 de Abril knew Guevara but said they hadn’t seen him working this year, nor did workers in the 9 de Octubre and 27 de Febrero markets. <Not sure if a severe case of goldbricking by a public employee merits a headline article, but it must be a slow news day.>
Cuenca –
De El Mercurio del lunes, 30/12 (1 article):
Bicicleta pública llegará a las parroquias rurales (Public bicycles to reach rural parishes) – The Municipality will implement a program of sustainable mobility to transform the Centro Histórico into a low emission zone. <Easier to reach that goal now that the rains are back and the generators stored away.> The city will collaborate with the Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador (BDE) and the Banco Alemán de Desarrollo (KfW) with a 25 million Euro loan, 10 of it a non-refundable donation and the other 15 with favorable terms. Alfredo Aguilar, general coordinator of mobility for the city, said the “Centro Histórico Bajo en Emisiones” Program has 4 parts: expanding the public bicycle system, expanding the network of bike paths, promotion of electric mobility, and implementation of superblocks.
The public bike system currently has 20 stations in El Centro and around. 30 more will be installed in urban sectors such as Ciudadela Kennedy, Yanuncay and Machángara and in rural parishes such as Baños, Ricaurte, and El Valle. The expansion will include electric bikes in all stations for hilly terrain and long distances. The project is also considering adding 20 kilometers of bike lanes to bring the total to 105 km. Another part of the project is electrifying one of the urban bus lines, incorporating from 8-10 buses. This will be supported by a network of electrolineras (like gasolineras only for electrical charging) with both fast and slow recharging. To reduce vehicular traffic and encourage walking, the project will implement calles completas or superblocks with 20 km. speed limits in the area of the 4 blocks around Parque Calderón. Studies are underway for all of these initiatives.
Completion times for the public bikes and additional bike lanes are in 7 months, and 12 months for the superblocks. The first electric buses should begin operation in the first half of 2026. <A project I probably will live to see in my lifetime – unlike the new road between Cuenca and Guayaquil.> Daniel Orellana, a researcher in geographic and environmental sciences, said that the growth in the number of cars in the city is unsustainable. What is needed is a system of mobility and public transport with 4 characteristics: reliable, safe, comfortable, and integrated to combine buses, the tranvÃa, and public bicycles without complications.
Sucesos –
De El Mercurio del lunes, 30/12 (1 article):
EMOV intensifica controles ahora con radares móviles (EMOV intensifies controls with mobile radars) – In agosto of 2023, the Mayor signed an act to disable the radars along various arteries in Cuenca. But after recent accidents resulting in deaths, EMOV dusted off the portable radars and intensified controls especially on the ‘via rápida’ <the autopista> and sanctioned 27 vehicles for speeding in 2 hours in the Challuabamba sector. Signs announcing radars ahead and slow down were put up. <And you still have drivers speeding. Too bad stupidity or arrogance isn’t sanctionable.> EMOV also intensified alcohol controls after a drunk driver was involved in an accident that left 3 people dead. 44 drivers were arrested on the nights of the 27 & 28/12 on the autopista Cuenca-Azogues for drunk driving.
Nacional –
De El Mercurio del lunes, 30/12 (1 article):
According to article 93 of the Código de la Democracia, office holders who opt for immediate reelection to the same position must take an unpaid leave of absence. However, neither Pres. Noboa nor the legislators from the Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN) will abide by this provision.
Assembly President Viviana Veloz arranged for the 96 legislators seeking re-election to present their request for leave until sábado, 28/12. As of the last public announcement, only 35 have complied. José de la Gasca, ministro de Gobierno, said that in a 2010 Corte Constitucional decision, after a ‘muerte cruzada’ (death cross), for candidates the new term will not be counted as a re-election. Other office holders from the Revolución Ciudadana, Partido Social Cristiano, and Construye parties disagreed with the Government’s position on the basis that a candidate performing in the office to which they seek re-election has an unfair advantage.
The official campaign period is from el 5/1 to el 6/2/2025. Otto Vera, current assembly vice-president said that the constitution is clear about taking the unpaid leave. He said even if there are no immediate consequences, there can be a process later in which the Tribunal Contencioso Electoral can apply a sanction for serious electoral misconduct. Vice-President Verónica Abad anticipates that as of 5/1, she will replace Pres. Noboa in the Carondelet Palace. <Has he given up, or is he still fighting to stay in office during the campaign period? Will he prevent her from entering with armed guards?>
And that’s all for today so hasta ? –
Jeanne
