Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias

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Tijuana, Basic Information *


by

Paul Ganster

Page 1 of 9
Municipality of Tijuana

The basic local governmental and territorial unit in Mexico is the municipality, as contrasted with the dual city/county arrangement in California. Thus, the term "Tijuana" refers not only to the densely urbanized area we think of as the city of Tijuana, but also the surrounding region that is circumscribed on the north by the international boundary, on the south by the recently established Municipality of Rosarito (1995), on the east by the Municipality of Tecate, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Within the Municipality of Tijuana, there are nine delegaciones, or administrative districts:
  1. Playas de Tijuana
  2. Centro
  3. San Antonio
  4. Mesa de Otay
  5. La Mesa
  6. Sánchez Taboada
  7. Centenario
  8. Cerro Colorado
  9. La Presa
 Transportation

The principal highways of Tijuana include a four-lane toll road and a two-lane highway south to Ensenada, a two-lane highway east to Mexicali, and a four-lane toll road east to Tecate and Mexicali. Construction of		 the Mexicali toll road with private capital is part of the privatization program for infrastructure initiated by the Salinas administration in Mexico.

Southern California's highway infrastructure also serves Tijuana. For example, many individuals who travel between Tijuana and Mexicali cross into the United States to use highway Interstate 8 because of its enhanced safety and the ease of using the U.S. system.

Tijuana's surface street system is barely adequate to meet present needs. Approximately 50 percent of the paved streets are in poor repair and many newer residential and other areas lack paving, contributing significantly to the regional air pollution through production of dust. Lack of adequate peripheral belt routes around the city, overpasses at busy intersections, and bridges across the channelized Tijuana River contribute to congestion. Extremely heavy truck traffic linked to the maquiladora industry and international trade has contributed to the deterioration of the roads, congestion, and has weakened one key bridge.

Public transportation systems include taxis and busses as well as a collection of vans, station wagons, and sedans that run fixed routes. In 1994, there were 626 buses, 1,095		 microbuses, and 5,238 taxis in the public transportation system. Generally, transportation routes connect the outskirts with the urban core of Tijuana, but direct connections between the outlying districts are limited. Transportation to work is a major problem for maquiladora and other salaried workers who must often spend more than two hours commuting to and from work. Transportation problems are also linked to the high turnover rate in maquiladora employment.

As part of the process of decentralization of powers, the state government of Baja California is contemplating the transference of transportation inspection authority to the municipal government. However, the state would retain the right to authorize public transportation permits and routes. This division of duties frustrates efforts of the municipal government to improve urban transportation.

In 1994, some 240,000 vehicles were registered in Tijuana, although some of the vehicles that circulate on Tijuana's streets are from other areas of Mexico and the United States. The average age of the vehicle fleet is much older than in San Diego, is not equipped with advanced air pollution control equipment, and is generally in a poor state of repair. Consequently,
*Data for this report are from INEGI, XI censo de poblacón y vivienda, 1990; Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico del Estado de Baja California; Norris C. Clement, et al., Maquiladora Resource Guide (San Diego: IRSC, 1989); Norris C. Clement and Eduardo Zepeda Miramontes, San Diego-Tijuana in Transition: A Regional Analysis (San Diego: IRSC, 1993); Serge Rey, Paul Ganster, Gustavo del Castillo, Juan Alvarez, Ken Shellhammer, Alan Sweedler, and Norris C. Clement, "The San Diego-Tijuana Region," in James W. Wilkie and Clint E. Smith, eds., Integrating Cities and Regions: NAFTA and the Caribbean Face Globalization (forthcoming); Plan Municipal de Desarrollo 1996-1998 (Tijuana: COPLADEM, 1996) and other works. 1/92; partially updated 3/95, 9/96, and 3/99. Information on Tijuana's health system was provided by Norma Ojeda. Copyright ã 1999 by Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias. This work may be freely reproduced without restriction for educational purposes. The author welcomes suggestions, corrections, and other information that might be incorporated in future versions of this publication.

 

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