Tijuana’s municipal government began installing new traffic signals at five intersections this week, targeting locations that city officials identified as high-risk for both vehicle collisions and pedestrian injuries. The installations are part of a broader push to modernize the city’s aging traffic infrastructure, which has struggled to keep pace with a metropolitan area now home to more than two million residents.
Tijuana Has Over 900 Traffic Signals, Many Decades Old
The city’s Dirección de Movilidad Urbana, the municipal department responsible for urban mobility, oversees more than 900 traffic signals across Tijuana. Many of those signals date back years or even decades, and maintenance has been a persistent challenge. Budget constraints and rapid urban growth have left entire corridors with outdated or malfunctioning equipment.
According to city data, Tijuana recorded thousands of traffic incidents in 2024, with rear-end collisions and pedestrian strikes ranking among the most common. Intersections without functioning signals or with poor visibility have been consistent trouble spots, particularly along major east-west arteries like Boulevard Lázaro Cárdenas and Boulevard Agua Caliente.
The five new signals target intersections that the mobility department flagged based on collision frequency and pedestrian volume. While the city has not published the exact locations, officials said the sites were chosen using accident data from municipal transit police reports. Each new signal includes LED technology designed to be more visible and energy-efficient than the older incandescent models still in use at many Tijuana intersections.
Previous Modernization Efforts Stalled by Budget Gaps
This is not Tijuana’s first attempt to upgrade its traffic signal network. In 2021, the city announced a plan to modernize roughly 200 signals across the municipality. That effort moved slowly, hampered by cost overruns and supply chain delays during the pandemic recovery period. By 2023, local media reported that fewer than half of the planned upgrades had been completed.
Tijuana’s traffic problems are compounded by its geography. The city sprawls across hills and canyons, with many neighborhoods connected by just one or two main roads. When a signal fails at a key intersection, traffic can back up for kilometers. During the rainy season, power outages frequently knock signals offline, creating dangerous conditions at already chaotic crossings.
The cross-border commute adds another layer of complexity. Tens of thousands of vehicles pass through Tijuana daily en route to or from the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry. Many of those drivers navigate city streets that lack consistent signaling, lane markings, or pedestrian infrastructure. The Zona Río commercial district and the Playas de Tijuana corridor, both popular with cross-border commuters and foreign residents, have seen repeated calls for better traffic management.
Pedestrian Safety Remains a Critical Gap in Tijuana
Pedestrian deaths in Tijuana have been a growing concern. Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), the national statistics agency, reported that Baja California ranked among the top ten states for traffic fatalities in 2023. A significant share of those deaths involved pedestrians, many at intersections without adequate signals or crosswalks.
Tijuana’s rapid urbanization has outpaced its pedestrian infrastructure. Entire colonias lack sidewalks, and many major boulevards were designed primarily for vehicle throughput with little consideration for foot traffic. Organizations like the Liga Peatonal, a national pedestrian advocacy group, have called on Tijuana to adopt a “complete streets” approach that prioritizes walkers alongside drivers.
The new signals include pedestrian countdown timers at select locations, a feature that has been standard in U.S. cities for years but remains uncommon in Tijuana. City officials said the countdown timers will be installed at intersections near schools and commercial zones where foot traffic is highest.
For anyone who drives or walks in Tijuana regularly, the practical impact is straightforward: five fewer uncontrolled intersections where collisions have been common. The LED signals should also be easier to see during foggy mornings and at night, conditions that contribute to many of Tijuana’s traffic incidents, especially along coastal routes near Playas de Tijuana.
The city’s mobility department said it plans to announce additional signal upgrades later in 2025, with a goal of replacing all remaining incandescent signals within two years. The next phase will reportedly focus on the eastern mesa areas near Otay, where rapid residential development has created new traffic pressure points. The installation timeline and additional locations were reported by El Imparcial.