Road signs: Men at Work in Mexico

Yucatán, 29.v.2004;
pict. M. Chartier

For a Mexican the dearest thing in life is a safe spot where he can pull his sombrero over the eyes and carefully plan tomorrow's activities. Well, that's how the cliché goes. Our road signs prove that people in Mexico actually are busy improving the roads. They do wear a sombrero however. So, to my relief at least one element of the cliché is still upright.

We have a similar sign from Indonesia and some drawings from Chile and Ireland belonging to the same family. Without the Mexican headgear though.

Yucatán, 29.v.2004;
pict. M. Chartier

Mexico City, 26.v.2004;
pict. M. Chartier

vii.1993

The find from the capital gave me a shock. Let's hope it is an isolated case. The drawing is very sloppy and one of the main characteristics of the Mexican road worker has been left out: the guy is bare-headed. The sombrero. Gone ! And his poor head hits the border of his world.

One day or another a geek of the financial department will notice that it's enough to drop the spade to make the sign double-purpose : road-works and pedestrian crossing. That will be a bleak day for collectors.

An unforgettable feature of the Mexican highway is the tope. I presume that the men are working to improve this infamous speed (and more than that) breakers.

From what one of my correspondents told me, it is clear that the tope keeps its prominent position as the tool for traffic control:

(R.M.) … road (built around 1998) from San Cristobal de las Casas to Ocosingo in the state of Chiapas, has 79 topes in about 83 km!!! … Tabasco is implementing a new system of continuous topes 1.5m apart over a hunderd meters near populated areas. …

It must be that it works better than toll roads to deviate traffic away from the city center.

Men at Work Signs found in Mexico