Merida, Yucatan — A park is far preferable than a train station at La Plancha, said the president of the Historic Center Conservation Board.
Enrique Ancona Teigell indicated that although the Mayan Train could be a boost for tourism and a trigger for the development of the La Plancha area, the long-anticipated “green lung” would serve more citizens.
After years of campaigning and planning to convert acres of Centro open space into a Central Park, the federal government announced its intention to roll the Mayan train into the Centro, reaching the historic train station on Calle 55 and 48.
“In particular, I liked the idea of a lung, of a park, of revitalizing that area,” said Ancona Teigell, referring to La Plancha as a potential source of fresh air in the city. The Gran Parque, as planned, would allow a corridor that could connect to other streets, such as 59 or the Paseo Montejo, something that would be more attractive to the city than having a train station, he said.
A train station would serve tourists; a park would serve everyone, he said.
The activist also said the municipal markets need to be revitalized, particularly the one at Santa Ana.
“We must make it a market that has more options, improve facilities, train those who offer services so that people can go and enjoy,” he said.
And where the city is proposing a pedestrian mall, Ancona Teigell proposed widening the sidewalks and making them level with the street for the comfort of pedestrians. Calle 47, between the Paseo de Montejo and La Plancha, could be closed off to traffic on Sundays, as the city does for biciruta, he suggested.
Source: La Jornada Maya
