Convert Dollars To Pesos

Council OKs tech upgrade for international bridge tolls

El Paso may soon become the first city along the United States' southern border to collect international bridge tolls using unmanned tollbooths for vehicles leaving the country.

The El Paso City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend more than $1.7 million to upgrade toll-collection technology at the Zaragoza and Stanton Street international bridges.

The move will make it possible for four electronic kiosks to be installed as early as December. It would take three to four weeks for them to be up and running, said Said Larbi-Cherif, director of international bridges in El Paso.

Larbi-Cherif said this will also help the city cut personnel spending at tollbooths. The city spends about $2 million for toll workers' wages and benefits.

Three machines would be installed at the Zaragoza Bridge and the fourth at the Stanton Street bridge.

Drivers going south would be able to pay tolls at the machine using cash or credit or debit cards and through electronic sensors issued to them. This would not affect wait lines on either side of the border and inspections would continue.

Larbi-Cherif said the technology upgrade was necessary because the current system was installed in 2000. The money will be from a State Infrastructure Bank loan, which will be paid back in 10 to 15 years.

"If everything goes well, we will start installations in December and they will be working by January," Larbi-Cherif said. "It will just be more convenient when going south."

The kiosks currently being recommended by the international bridges department will cost about $50,000 each, or $200,000 total, to install.

A decision on what type of kiosk will be installed is being determined.

City Rep. Susie Byrd said she wants to explore options around possibly installing machines that accept Mexican and U.S. money.

"I'm not just looking at it from a revenue standpoint," Byrd said. "We want to encourage everyone to come over and spend money at our shops and restaurants. Forcing them to take a step further and convert from pesos to dollars could send the wrong message."

Twenty percent of the revenue collected from El Paso's international tolls is in Mexican pesos, according to a presentation given by Larbi-Cherif.

City Rep. Cortney Niland said the city should not spend more money just to have kiosks that accept both currencies. She said most travelers carry dollars because most stores in El Paso do not take pesos.

Banks In Oaxaca, Mexico No Longer Accept American Dollars 6/17/10

In the State of Chihuahua, went to pay a cell bill and sign there said ” To our customers … blah …blah …as of September 9th we no longer accept dollar bills for payment.” Then a couple days ago spar to a business associate who said that everyone is dumping their U.S dollars where they live too because the acceptance rate is going down the drain. It’s like when you’d go to pay with a creidt card and you’d be told that confidence cards aren’t accepted, well it’s U.S cash that’s no no now.

so much alarmist crap….Why didnt you question why they didnt accept your dollars??? if you use the ATM machines at any bank in Oaxaca you can withdraw pesos at the best exchange rate from your dollar account in the states… and, Oaxaca has many money exchange facilities that exchange dollars….. numerous all around the Zocalo. If you were here for 15 day you likely passed many of these seats, which are very well marked.

Nytimes.com June 15, 2010 Mexico announced some of the toughest restrictions on dollar cash transactions on Tuesday in an attempt to fight money laundering that is fueling an increasingly bloody drug war. Tourists and Mexicans without bank accounts will be limited to exchanging a maximum of $1,500 per month, Finance Secretary Ernesto Cordero said. The measure is meant to stem the flood of about $10 billion per year in suspicious cash flows thought to be linked to drug trafficking.

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