Orihuela Costa guardrail finally fixed after months of danger
The busy Orihuela Costa road leads the way to Campoamor and Las Ramblas golf courses
For drivers in Orihuela Costa, the treacherous journey along the San Miguel road has finally been made safer, though not without a drawn-out saga that highlights how absurdly long it can take the city council to address pressing safety issues.
The infamous black spot near the Campoamor and Las Ramblas golf courses has been a source of danger for more than 6 months, with a destroyed guardrail and precarious temporary fencing offering little more than a warning to avoid the drop.
The issue was first formally raised on August 13, when the citizen group 'Unidos Por La Costa' urgently petitioned Orihuela Town Hall to address the hazard. They requested not only the repair of the guardrails but also the installation of speed reducers and appropriate signage for what is clearly an accident-prone stretch of road.Despite their appeal and the undeniable risks, it took more than four months and plenty of near-misses for the authorities to take action.
On Tuesday December 17, city officials announced the repair of the guardrail at the dangerous downhill bend, where cars had been navigating a 90-degree curve with little more than makeshift barriers to prevent disaster.
Quite aside from being one of the main access roads to two popular golf courses, this dangerous stretch also leads the way to a busy commercial centre and thousands of homes, so it’s anything but quiet, even during the winter months.Even though the sharp bends and curves make visibility a challenge at the best of times, the road is notorious for speed fiends, and local residents have been expressing their concerns for months.
While the City Council now touts the improvements as a response to these concerns, the fact that it took so long to address an obvious and immediate danger feels like a glaring oversight, but sadly it’s just the latest in a long list of issues facing the underfinanced Orihuela Costa.
In other news: Orihuela Costa cracks down on illegal advertising billboards
Images: Unidos Por La Costa
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