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ARCHIVED - Altea bows to public pressure and begins removing controversial bike lane from busy promenade
Residents and local businesses have been complaining about the "dangerous" cycle lane in the Alicante coastal town for a decade
Cyclists are now banned from Altea's Mediterráneo promenade after the local council this week bowed down to pressure from residents and local businesses and began removing the bike lane introduced almost a decade ago.
Councillor for Infrastructures, Diego Zaragozí, explained that the removal of the blue-painted lane between the Plaza de Europa and the Carreró de l'Astillero "is in response to complaints from numerous residents and hoteliers who on many occasions have witnessed cyclists being run over by cyclists riding close to the terraces of restaurants at speeds higher than the permitted 10km/h".
Bicycles must now circulate along the coastal strip between Calle Sant Pere (in front of the Hotel San Miguel) and the mouth of the River Algar. They will be permitted on the El Bol beach seafront, but with conditions clearly outlined on signs: cycling will be allowed at a speed of between 5 and 10km/h, and always with pedestrian preference. However, people travelling faster or in large groups will not be allowed to use the lane.
The busy N-332 runs through Altea, parallel to the coastline, so to try ensure cyclist safety when crossing the national road to the town centre between the streets La Mar and Conde de Altea, cycle lane signs have been painted indicating preferential circulation for bicycles.
"This is where professional cyclists, or amateurs who go faster than any elderly person, children or families who ride much more slowly, should be cycling," advised the councillor.
The promenade cycle lane is being "gentle polished off" with a fast micro-milling machine. The surface is hit with tiny iron balls that are vacuumed at the time to avoid residues and leave the ground rough, like sandpaper, to prevent slips when wet.
It's an ecological way of removing the paint, as no chemical solvents are used, assured the council, and will cost 9,500 euros.
The bike lane has been a bone of contention since its implementation in 2013... at the request of locals. But it has since become "a race track" and is predominantly used by "large groups who ride faster than they should", and residents now want to see the back of it.
The initial layout of the lane provoked many complaints, especially from hoteliers and restaurateurs, as it passed through the interior of many terraces, and even in the middle of restaurant tables with winding turns and bends of more than 90 degrees in some areas close to the Plaza de Europa.
According to local complaints, cyclists were often seen dodging waiters and vice versa. On other occasions, cyclists collided with waiters carrying trays and children running across the blue lane were run over.
This complicated coexistence between pedestrians, bicycles, street furniture, tables, chairs and restaurant workers, led to the original layout being changed in November 2014 after several meetings between the hoteliers and the town council.
The latter received final permission from the Provincial Coastal Authority as the promenade is within the maritime-terrestrial zone. But the problem was not completely solved, and in May 2015 the promenade was remodelled to change the blue route again. Now, seven years later, it's being removed completely, having cost around 70,000 euros.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Altea
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