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Traveling
México's Cuotas |
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The Mexican cuotas (toll roads) are similar to the interstate system in the USA. The proper name is autopista, but cuota is what the road signs usually say.. The newer ones are divided four-lanes; sometimes, the older ones and mountain roads are undivided 2-lanes. All are limited access highways, usually in good condition and well maintained. Almost all are privately operated via franchises from the government, and they are expensive. This high cost results in limited traffic with few buses and trucks on most routes. I think this alone make them worth the price. Toll prices are listed in pesos on signs at each toll booth. Some near the USA border will accept dollars at a poor exchange rate. Credit and debit cards (Visa and MC) are accepted at some booths, but certainly not all. It's best to plan to use pesos. Mercifully, the cuotas bypass smaller towns while a free highway (libre) will pass through all of them -- a very slow process with lots of topes (speed bumps) and, sometimes, wandering livestock. Large cities are a different story. Almost without exception, the cuotas do not pass through nor around large cities. They will stop short of the city, dump you onto the free highway through the city, and then reappear on the other side. This is often a confusing damn nuisance. The system is not complete throughout the country, and some sections may be interspersed with the free highway which will often run more or less parallel to the cuota. There are some cuotas that do not have a companion libre. The most detailed map of cuotas and libres can be found here in these state by state maps. Scroll down to select the state you want to see. Downloads are very slow. This website (when it's working) will allow you to calculate toll charges and expected travel time between cities served by the cuotas. Click on English Version if you wish. My limited experience is that the listed travel times are a bit underestimated. The listed fees are not always up to date. Getting past México City is a major hassle. Recently there has been partial relief with the opening of a new bypass highway, Arco Norte, skirting the north-eastern side of the area. A Google map and details are here. Most toll plazas will have a junk food shop and rest rooms. Gas stations are rare on cuotas, so gas up before you start, or plan to exit at a large town to get gas. Sometimes gas stations can be found just outside the toll plaza, but sometimes one may be too far away. Here is an interesting out-of-gas story I gleaned from the internet: |
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Are the cuotas safer than the libres? Probably. There is far less traffic. The highway is almost always in very good shape. It's fenced, so there are no farm animals wandering in your path. The controlled access makes them less attractive to bandidos. There are only occasional solar-powered emergency call boxes on some routes. If you break down in the middle of nowhere, wait for the Green Angels (Los Angeles Verdes). The Green Angels are government paid bilingual crews that patrol the cuotas throughout México every day (but not at night) in green trucks, carrying tools, spare parts and gasoline, looking for motorists in trouble. Los Angeles Verdes will provide mechanical assistance, first aid, basic supplies, gas, and towing. The services they provide are free, but there will be a charge for repair parts or fuel. Even though the services are free, tipping is appreciated. Your toll fee includes limited insurance while you are driving on the cuota. The coverage will be listed in the fine print on the back of the toll receipt. The policy offers limited medical coverage and other benefits. The most commonly used benefit seems to be for road damage. If a defect in the roadway damages your car (such as windshield cracks from loose gravel, pot hole damage, etc), the insurance will take care of it. If your car damages the roadway, in an accident for example, you are covered for the repairs to the roadway. (It is customary in México to charge the at-fault driver with the cost of repairing any damage to the road. This applies to all highways.) If you have a claim, you must report to the authorities at the next toll plaza and present your toll receipt from the previous booth -- don't toss the receipts. You cannot file a claim later or without the receipt. Details of the insurance is here and here in Spanish. Here is an experience shared by a friend who had a problem on a cuota which was not in good condition. |
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