Too much traffic already exists, say exasperated neighbors

Viña del Mar’s shopping district, already home to two conjoining malls, is set to see the construction of a third shopping complex next year.

While the project will increase ecnomic prosperity in the region, it also promises to strain to the area’s already over-loaded road system. As a result, there is political blow-back.

Emilio Oñate, a regional politician, says the effect the mall will have on the local road system could be disasterous.

“The area adjoining the current  ‘Marine Arauco’ mall  is already overrun with traffic," he says. "There is too much traffic and activity there already and the authorities should be thinking of how to clear the roads, instead of worsening the traffic  flow by building yet anther mall,” Oñate said.

“It’s already difficult enough to navigate your way through the streets surrounding the mall,” Caco Viviana, a local small business owner, told the Valparaíso Times. “There are too many vehicles and the streets are too little. Construction of a new mall will not only make it difficult for locals to travel around their own neighborhood – it will also discourage shoppers from returning to the area.”

Viña del Mar-based Radio Cuña also agrees that congestions issues about the current mall have yet to be addressed. "The old mall still doesn't meet the parking needs of its shoppers,” said the radio station.

Construction of the new mall is set to begin next year.

Sources: RADIO CUÑA
By Thomas Derricott ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )