NOGALES, Sonora — A new effort to attract tourists to this border town's downtown-area shops will require pocket change.
Last week, a private business association dedicated to stimulating the city's economic development installed parking meters near the U.S. border.
Parking at the meters — along the main drag, Avenida Álvaro Obregón, and its cross streets — costs 50 cents or 5 pesos an hour with a three-hour limit.
The hope is that the more than 1,000 pay-for-parking spots will regulate the parking in front of shops and reduce the number of cars that remain parked on the street all day.
"People would say, 'Why should we shop downtown if we can't find parking?' " said Jacobo Dabdoub, president of the business association known as the Patronato Centro de Estabilización de Nogales.
People are also reading…
Among the benefits, he hopes, is that U.S. shoppers won't hesitate to drive their cars across the border and explore other shops now that parking will be more readily available.
"I expect that now I will find a parking space," said Marcela Castañeda, a resident of Nogales, Ariz. "Every time I cross (to Nogales, Sonora) it takes 20 minutes for me to park."
Dabdoub said the meters will provide more order along the streets and the income will benefit those downtown merchants.
"We expect with the rotation of the spaces, it will diminish the time drivers spend looking for a place to park," he said. "Many local merchants are thrilled and are even talking about investing in and opening restaurants."
The meters are along Avenida Álvaro Obregón between Calle Internacional — which runs parallel to the international border — and Calle Torres, near Plaza Miguel Hidalgo, approximately eight blocks south.
All proceeds will be returned to the community, Dabdoub said. Forty percent of the money will be earmarked for the restoration of downtown with benches and reinforced sidewalks.
Private traffic enforcers will monitor the meters and cite violators, he said.
The meters are part of a plan that was already put in motion by Mexico's National Chamber of Commerce.
Residents who live along the affected streets will receive parking passes and will not be charged, Dabdoub said.
Resident Eduardo Santiago said he plans to apply for his parking permit right away.
"I think it's good that they took residents into account and that we won't have to pay to park outside of our houses," he said.
The project cost about $300,000 for equipment and installation, funded by bank loans and association funds.
To learn more
Visit the association's Web site at www.parquimetros.com.mx. The site is in Spanish.