The debate over traffic regulation in Quilmes eventually spilled over into the premises of the Honorable Deliberative Council (HCD) and developed into a high-voltage political and social conflict.
As the Legislature prepared to consider an important ordinance Implementation of the Municipal Metered Parking System (SEMM) and other road control mechanisms, There were incidents on the streets between social activists and the Buenos Aires police.
At the center of the controversy was the space that the project reserved for car attendants, popularly known as “ragitos”. public transition between mayor Mayra Mendoza and social leader Juan Grabois.
The official initiative proposes a comprehensive transformation of the transport and parking system in Quilmes, Bernal and Quilmes Oeste. The text brings together three systems that are licensed en bloc for a period of ten years: the SEMM, the Municipal Electronic Traffic Violation Detection System (SMDEIT) and the Freight Transport Vehicle Control and Weighing System (SCPVTC).
The concession is determined through a public tender and the municipality receives a fee for operating the service. The value of the document was set at three million pesos.
The project establishes precise areas in which the SEMM will operate, with defined days and times: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., excluding Sundays and public holidays.
It also sets in Ten minute grace period to register the payment and a system of sanctions for those who do not comply, including: Fines of 100 to 200 hours of parking.
The Executive Department will have the authority to adjust tariffs and expand or reduce the blocks included in the system by up to 20%.
The SEMM is applied in the following specific areas:
Quilmes Center: Brandsen Avenue between Hipólito Yrigoyen and Paz Avenue; Peace between Brandsen Avenue and Alberdi Avenue; Alberdi Avenue between Paz and Hipólito Yrigoyen Avenues; Hipólito Yrigoyen Avenue between Alberdi Avenue (north) and Alberdi Avenue (south); Alberdi Avenue (south) between Hipólito Yrigoyen Avenue and the Roca railway tracks; Olavarría between the Roca railway tracks and Avenida Hipólito Yrigoyen.
Bernal Center: Avenida San Martín between Avenida Avellaneda and Avenida Zapiola; Avenida Zapiola between Avenida Belgrano and Avenida San Martín; Belgrano Avenue between Zapiola Avenue and Don Bosco; Don Bosco between Avenida Belgrano and Lavalle; Valley between Don Bosco and Avellaneda; Avellaneda Avenue between Lavalle and San Martín Avenue.
Quilmes West: Carlos Pellegrini Avenue on both sides between the Roca railway tracks and Andrés Baranda Avenue. The polygon included by the streets: Entre Ríos between Avenida Andrés Baranda and Avenida Vicente López; Avenida Vicente López between the Malvinas Islands and Entre Ríos; Malvinas Islands between Avenida Andrés Baranda and Avenida Vicente López; and Avenida Andrés Baranda between Islas Malvinas and Entre Ríos.
But beyond the technical aspects, the conflict centered on how the regulation affects those who now make a living servicing cars on public roads. They assure you of this from the local government the project neither criminalizes car guards nor ignores their employment status, but it does discard A central point that economic organizations demand: the direct award of the service to a cooperative.
The project clarifies that the regulation takes into account the situation of “already existing workers”, with the possibility of formal integration into the system, under conditions of registration, social protection and clear rules.
What the local government rejects is the idea of giving control of paid parking spaces to a specific organization without a competitive process. ““It has been decided to put out a call for tenders so that anyone who meets the requirements can apply,” they noticed from the community.
This definition has been interpreted by sectors linked to the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) and the Union of Workers of the National Economy (UTEP). covert privatization That would leave hundreds of families out. Using this argument, militants and car vigilantes mobilized at the HCD to demand a hearing before the vote. The protest ended with clashes, reports of repression and arrests, increasing political tensions.
Juan Grabois, a reference of the MTE and historical ally of the national ruling party, directly targeted Mayra Mendoza’s management. In messages posted on social networks, he accused the city government of enabling police repression to impose a “manipulated privatization” of paid parking spaces and questioned the lack of dialogue with workers. His comments included sharp criticism of the police actions and calls for the release of those arrested in the incidents, including a press worker.
The community responded to this The security operation was deployed to protect the public building and ensure the normal functioning of the Advisory Council. In addition, they justified the further development of the regulation based on the repeated complaints from neighbors about pressure situations, coercive accusations and conflicts related to car care in central areas. “There is a concrete need to organize parking and ensure greater safety,” officials said.
For the local government, implementing technology for traffic control and parking is part of a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing congestion, improving road safety and bringing transparency to a service that today operates informally.
For social organizations, on the other hand, the problem lies not in the regulation itself, but in the fact that progress is made without an agreement that guarantees the continuity of the work of car guards within a system managed by the national economy.
The conflict between the two views revealed a deeper dispute over how to integrate informal workers into the public policy of urban modernization. As the Advisory Council prepares to determine the future of the regulation, the conflict has already transcended the local level and exposed political tensions within the official camp itself. In Quilmes, the debate about the “rags” became a symbol of a larger discussion: state order and control versus social inclusion and popular work.
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