Cancún Cracks Down on Street Vendors at Crossings

Cancún, Mexico — With the goal of recovering driver visibility and ensuring pedestrian safety, the program to organize strategic crosswalks and traffic lights in Cancún is being implemented. This initiative began in January 2025 and has been reinforced in recent days.

This action is due to the presence of up to 10 vendors per traffic light. José Gamaliel Canto Cambranis, director of Commerce and Services in Public Spaces, said that the excess of stalls and vendors at intersections obstructs crosswalks or pedestrian crossings and limits the visual field of drivers, increasing the risk of collisions.

In response to this situation, operational personnel conduct permanent patrols in “red zones” of mobility, such as the Del Albañil and El Ceviche roundabouts; the crossing of Nichupté with Kabah, the intersection of Tulum with Nichupté, as well as Kilometer Zero and Andrés Quintana Roo Avenue.

Fines for Vendors Without Permits at Cancún Traffic Lights

The protocol is that vendors who do not have the corresponding permit will be removed immediately. But the organization does not end there; the economic sanctions for those who violate the regulations are severe, seeking to discourage recidivism.

“Fines range between 500 and 5,000 pesos, depending on the severity of the infraction and whether the merchant is a repeat offender,” stated the director of Commerce and Services in Public Spaces.

A fundamental pillar of this operation is the monitoring of human rights, since if minors are detected conducting commercial activities, municipal personnel are prohibited from intervening directly; instead, an alert is immediately activated via 911.

This call requests the presence of personnel from the National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents (SIPINNA) and specialized authorities, while Commerce personnel guard the site to ensure that children and adolescents receive appropriate care under a framework of legal protection.

Finally, the municipal authority called for respect and civility. In the event of possible aggression toward inspectors during the performance of their duty, there will be support from public security forces to ensure that order returns to the streets peacefully and in strict adherence to the law.