Playa del Carmen Reviews Parking Meter Concession Over Alleged Violations

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The city’s Mobility Department is reviewing compliance with Playa del Carmen’s parking meter concession after identifying a series of obligations that the operating company allegedly failed to meet, including matters related to bicycles, machine operation, ticket printing and parking spaces.

The director of Mobility said the review of the concession’s clauses began when he took office and is being carried out jointly with the Sindicatura, the office of the Sixth Councilor and the municipal government’s legal department. The goal is to determine which commitments remain outstanding and to press the company to fulfill them.

One issue under discussion is a request that the company return or replace bicycles that form part of the concession’s obligations.

“We are in that process, and we are seeking the best way forward, in addition to other points that have not been fulfilled under the concession. That is what we are dealing with,” the official said.

He estimated that concrete results from the negotiations and reviews could emerge in about a month. He left open the possibility of sanctions if the concessionaire does not meet its commitments, though he said the municipality will first seek agreements.

Another change under consideration involves the physical tickets dispensed by the parking meters. The Mobility Department wants to make the system easier for domestic and foreign tourists who are unfamiliar with the app used to make payments.

Options include expanding the tools available in the app and modifying the machines to display information in other languages, with the aim of making the service simpler for visitors.

The director also acknowledged problems with some equipment installed on public streets. About a month ago, Mobility personnel carried out a general inspection of the machines and found three or four out of service, along with others that had been removed.

The faults were reported to the company and later repaired, and the department is preparing a new inspection to assess the equipment’s current condition.

“We have already mapped all of those machines and they have been repaired,” he said, adding that citizen complaints about poorly printed tickets were also addressed.

The concession review also covers the controversy over parking spaces that were eliminated by changes made to some roads. According to the official, the company has proposed recovering spaces within the concession area.

The director confirmed that officials are studying which streets could be used to compensate for the lost spaces, but he stressed that any modification must remain within the polygon authorized under the concession.

One of the cases cited involves a road where more than 120 spaces were lost. The eventual compensation would not necessarily cover all of them, however, since figures of around 40 or 50 have been discussed during the talks.

“It was more than 120 spaces,” the official confirmed, referring to the eliminated spots, though he said the city is still weighing how to resolve the company’s request.