An urban infrastructure decision for the World Cup in Mexico led to one of the most unusual conflicts of the global tournament. The capital’s government inaugurated the La Gran Tenochtitlán Bike Lane along Calzada de Tlalpan, the main artery connecting downtown Mexico City with Estadio Azteca. The problem: that same street is also the heart of the capital’s red-light district.
The new bike lane took away customers’ ability to pull over in their cars, directly disrupting the flow of business. But what really inflamed tensions was something else: cyclists began filming the sex workers as they rode by, a practice the women consider a violation of their privacy. Tensions escalated quickly, and within a few weeks altercations became frequent.
In videos that circulated online, several women can be seen forcibly stopping a cyclist, snatching his phone, and throwing it to the ground. While the capital’s government puts on a show for tourists from around the world, the city’s residents are dealing with the unexpected consequences of those same projects.