A report from the Orihuela Local Police reveals that 31 accidents have occurred on the coast in six months due to the poor condition of the roads, according to data from the Judicial Police Traffic Unit, which is responsible for investigating traffic accidents from January to June.
These thirty road accidents were directly related to the poor condition of the road, most of them due to potholes. Of these 31, only one accident resulting in injuries was recorded, when the occupants of an electric scooter fell while hitting a pothole on Calle Acuario. The rest were accidents resulting in tire damage.
The VillamartÃn-Los Dolses road leads the way with five accidents, followed by Cabo Creus (Lomas de Cabo Roig) with four. Piscis, Capricornio, and Virgo in La Florida, California, Carretera de VillamartÃn, R. Wagner, and OrquÃdeas (Playa Flamenca) with two accidents. Also in this residential area, one accident occurred in Estaca, the same number as in Mariano Torregrosa, Cielo (Aguamarina), Carretera San Miguel de Salinas, Pebrella, and VillamartÃn.
The Local Police is submitting this report at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, which opened a procedural investigation following a complaint from the Unidos por la Costa neighbourhood association regarding alleged road safety offences under Article 385 of the Penal Code for failing to restore road safety when there was an obligation to do so, thus creating a real risk.
The complainant stated that recently, municipal road maintenance in the municipality of Orihuela in districts 10 and 11, located on the coast, has been nonexistent, leading to accidents and property and human damage.
Although a road maintenance contract has existed for the last five years, which also included signage, it has been “manifestly deficient due to the lack of asphalt to repair the damage, and consequently, there has been no preventive or corrective maintenance,” the complaint stated.
All of this, he added, “Can only be due to at least negligent behaviour by the City Council, the owner of the reported roads, if not reckless, with the resulting malicious behaviour on the part of municipal officials, which poses a clear risk.”
At the same time, the neighbourhood organisation provided a study of 14 areas where more than 160 potholes were identified, leading to the inference that there are more than 500 potholes awaiting patching or resurfacing in the nearly 700 coastal streets and avenues.
It also detailed the various communications that were made to the relevant municipal bodies, including the Mayor’s Office and the Coastal and Infrastructure Departments, but did not receive any response; these communications sought to initiate an urgent contract for repairing and patching the roads.
However, the Prosecutor’s Office has closed the case because the reported act (omission) does not constitute a crime, as the intentional component required by the Penal Code is not evident. It does not address the administrative component of potential financial liability of the Administration for damages caused by accidents by the owner of the road, in this case the City Council.
The complaint was filed in April, after the coastline had been without maintenance service since February, when the contract expired. It was finally resumed this month through management by the municipal company SGM, which will also handle garbage collection. These are two of the services that garner the most complaints on the Coast.
The City Council reported yesterday, Tuesday July 22nd, that “after more than a decade without any action, the streets of Torrezenia on the coast have now been completely paved,” in compliance with the 2019 participatory budget.
This project, financed by the 2024 municipal budget and with an investment of €60,000, has allowed for the renewal of the road surface on the curve of San Miguel Road, Cañada Street, and Torrevieja Avenue, where the pavement was in an advanced state of deterioration.
Joint milling, complete resurfacing of roads, and painting of road markings have been carried out.
The Councillor for Infrastructure, VÃctor Valverde, emphasised that “thanks to the first budget approved by this government team, we have been able to unblock a pending project since 2019, which could not be carried out due to lack of funds. Today, Torrezenia finally has the streets it deserves, and we will continue to do so with the rest.”
Furthermore, the contract includes improvements provided by the successful bidder, which have allowed several additional tonnes of asphalt to be allocated for patching other areas in the surrounding area.
However, reactions were swift among the weary neighbourhood. Some residents indicated that only the main street (Avenida Torrevieja) and a small street (La Cañada) have been paved, leaving two streets in worse condition (Avenida Orihuela and Carlos Torres) and the perimeter streets Ciprés and del Limonero. They even pointed out that “the majority of the budget—stolen from Torrezenia—is in Caspio,” which belongs to La Cuerda.
Apparently, the bizarre situation has arisen in which work has not been possible on streets that have not been approved or are private and that were contemplated in the project approved in 2019 at the proposal of the residents and which had passed the technical review. Six years later, the project has not been fully implemented on the ground.
The contract for road paving, worth one million euros, is yet to be awarded, although the specifics are unknown. There are also two projects subsidised by the Provincial Council through the Planifica Plan: one on Avenida Miguel de Cervantes in Campoamor, for which the project plan has already been drawn up, and another on the San Miguel de Salinas road, for which the project plan has not yet been drawn up.
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