Attn: Hoy no Circula in Mexico City

[Rodrigo84]

My cousin noted in El Universal today and the other day (sorry I can't post links yet), that the Hoy no Circula program in Mexico City is being modified to the detriment of foreign-plated vehicles:

1. Beginning in July, foreign-plated vehicles, non-local vehicles, and those with a 2 sticker will not be allowed to drive one Saturday per month depending on their plate number, this is in addition to the hoy no circula program already in affect. You can only get a cero sticker on a non-local vehicles, if your vehicles is 5 years or newer

2. The Estado de Mexico is proposing that non-local vehicles be limited during the week to driving during certain hours, which could have a drastic effect on foreigners ability to get into work.

3. The Estado de Mexico is also proposing that all non-local vehicles must be emissions tested before they are allowed to drive through the metro area.

The last 2 sound absurd, but they are being strongly considered. 1 is going to go into effect.

I would strongly urge you to contact your respective embassies on this should you be affected.

[Rodrigo84]

I wanted to give you an update, according to a story in the Excelsior today, foreign vehicles (that means not D.F. or Edomex) will be exempt from the Hoy No Circula Saturday program once it goes into effect in July. Only local vehicles with calcomania 2 will be a part of the program.

Firme, el Hoy No Circula: GDF - Excélsior (see page 2)

What is not known yet, and I advise you to be very vigilant in the newspapers is that there still a plan on the table to require all vehicles, regardless of where they are from, to have an emissions test before they are allowed to drive in D.F./Edomex and/or a much greater restriction of the hours that you can drive your foreign-plated vehicle during the week in the metro area beyond the hoy no circula program currently in place.

This is where the program about restricting hours on non-local vehicles was written about, Analiza Edomex avalar Hoy no circula sabatino - El Universal - DF

The story mentioned that vehicles not local must not circulate after 12 p.m. during the day along with requiring non-local vehicles to test.

[Rodrigo84]

I'd like to add another update, Definirán "Hoy No Circula" sabatino la próxima semana: Delgado / 7 de Marzo de 2008

This one seems much more alarming,

Puntualizó que el gobierno local pretende que los vehículos con tránsito habitual en la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México sólo tengan placas de cualquiera de las dos entidades, a fin de que sean sujetos de las medidas anticontaminantes.

[Rodrigo84]

My cousin has contacted the American Embassy on this and his friend contacted the Canadian Embassy, and the persons they communicated with were not previously aware of what has been discussed above:

Here are the links for contacts for both:

U.S.- Embassy Hours & Contact Info. - US Embassy Mexico City

Canadian- Consular Services / Assistance for Canadians

[Rodrigo84]

Now a new update, now auto foraneos (cars not local) will be included in the Saturday program according to this new article on El Universal,

1.6 millones de autos, al garaje los sábados - El Universal - DF

I highly urge you to contact your respective embassies on this.

[Rodrigo84]

This is a MUST READ,

Acuerdan Ebrard y Peña políticas ambientales restrictivas - El Universal - DF

[Rodrigo84]

Conferencias del Jefe de Gobierno - Dirección General de Comunicación Social

This has more information about foreign vehicle restrictions. Sorry I don't have the time to translate.

[Rodrigo84]

These are the relevant items to be aware of, but keep advised they have to be approved in April locally, though they probably will, and would take effect July 1st.

1. Foreign-plated vehicles would not be allowed to drive between 5 A.M. to 12 P.M. Mon-Sat unless you obtain a cero or doble cero sticker from an emissions testing center in either D.F. or Edomex. However, as I know, foreign-plated vehicles older than 5 years old will not be allowed to test. This has been the rule for about a year now, though it used to be 10 years.

2. Foreign-plated vehicles, in addition to current hoy no circula restrictions applicable Monday to Friday, would not be allowed to drive one Saturday a month. The actual procedure has yet to be worked out since there are usually 5 days in a week but only 4 or 5 Saturdays in a month. Only foreign-plated vehicles who have passed an emissions test with a cero or doble cero would be exempt.

3. I should note that one issue that occurs currently with foreign-plated vehicles who test, is that a number of brands of foreign vehicles do not exist in the emissions testing center (known as verificentros) computers. And this necesitates a trip to this location if testing in Mexico City:
SECRETARIA DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE
AGRICULTURA 21 1 Col.ESCANDON
C.P.06068 , MEXICO, DF

[bigmutt]

Thanks for the info, Rodrigo.
Do you know of any exemption procedures if you have a foreign-plated 8-year old car in Mexico City?
These new regulations are pretty restrictive and seem to benefit car dealers the most.

[Rodrigo84]

Originally Posted by bigmutt

Thanks for the info, Rodrigo.
Do you know of any exemption procedures if you have a foreign-plated 8-year old car in Mexico City?
These new regulations are pretty restrictive and seem to benefit car dealers the most.

A friend of my cousin's recently rewrote this, Hoy No Circula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that discusses some of the intricacies of the new regulations.

As far as what you ask, if the vehicle is more than 8 years old, you can't get around the regulations. I think there are very few exemptions such as having a handicapped plate or diplomat, but in the case of the handicapped plate there is a place that I mentioned earlier where you would have to go downtown. We knew someone with a Texas handicapped plate and they were repeatedly stopped despite local handicapped plates being allowed a pass on hoy no circula. He had to get a special sticker for this.

If you have an 8 year old car at the moment, you have about 6 months or so left where you are able to get a cero sticker, after that though, you have to follow the regulations as mentioned in the wikipedia article, as your cero sticker won't be valid.

My cousin and several of his friends complained heavily to the American Embassy about this, but no help was forthcoming, and my cousin ended up leaving the country as a result, because he wasn't able to drive in the mornings to work, because his car was no longer eligible for the cero sticker.

I agree it could be a program to fund the new car dealers. However, the local D.F. mayor also wants Mexico City to be more like New York City, more public transportation and less cars, but in a city this size that won't work, because even the metro won't go up the side of the mountain to places like Edomex or even Santa Fe.