Havana without traffic control: Traffic lights off or broken on main avenues

Several traffic lights that are off or malfunctioning on some of the main avenues in Havana are causing serious inconveniences for Cuban drivers, who have turned to social media to express their dissatisfaction.

The lack of functioning of these devices, exacerbated by the blackouts, has unleashed chaos that severely affects traffic flow.

This situation has already caused accidents, such as the one recorded this Thursday in El Vedado, putting the safety of drivers and pedestrians at risk, who face an uncontrolled and potentially dangerous environment on the main arteries of the city.

A video from CiberCuba shows the traffic lights at Vía Blanca and Calzada de 10 de Octubre (Agua Dulce); Cristina and Matadero (Cuatro Caminos); Concha and Cristina, and 23 and J, all extremely busy areas.

The clip published on the social network Facebook has garnered over 6,000 views in less than an hour, and dozens of internet users have shared their opinions in the comments section.

Darvis Sousa, for example, stated that “these arteries and others, and the heart of Cuba (the people) are on the brink of a heart attack. Prepare paper and pencil because a sentence is about to be dictated,” while Ricardo Varona demanded that the police fulfill their role in the delicate situation.

"Nothing works in this damn country, apathy has taken over our future, there’s nothing, trash on every corner fostering the spread of diseases (we are seeing it), hospitals without supplies, no ambulances, no food, no electricity, no telecommunications, and above all, there is no leadership in which we can place our hopes to get out of this," wrote Rafael Enrique Garcia Morales.

In the Facebook group "ACCIDENTES BUSES & CAMIONES for more experience and fewer victims!", the user Jordanis Cabrera Estevez shared an image of the incident that occurred at the intersection of Línea and 12, where a truck transporting gas collided with a Pontiac due to the traffic light not functioning.

The complaints are countless, and residents are asking for urgent solutions to restore traffic control and prevent the situation, which is not new, from continuing to worsen and leading to greater problems.

In June, an accident in the Miramar neighborhood of the capital triggered an alert for drivers traveling through various streets of Havana, as several traffic lights were out.

The incident that occurred at 30th Street and 7th Avenue in Miramar, Playa, without apparent damage to people, involved two cars colliding in the middle of an intersection, where evidently the traffic light was not functioning and the drivers did not take the necessary precautions.