Graffiti, dirt, broken glass and abandoned offices, the central bus station, which reflects a dreadful first image of the town. Broken toilets that have been closed for months in a terminal that was built only 10 years ago at a cost of 2.5 million euros and that the Town Council has yet to formally take over.
The Almoradí bus station is the first impression that many people get of the municipality as they arrive in the town by public transport. It is not an impression that many want to remember.
There are few walls that are free of unsightly graffiti in an obviously abandoned building, evident by of its lack of cleanliness and any attention. The bus shelters themselves are also broken, as a result of which people have to wait for their transport in the open, regardless of the weather.
The building itself is closed and the broken glass demonstrates that the council is unconcerned at it’s dangerous state. The toilets have remain closed and abandoned for months and although the Council has installed a portable toilet the lack of any hygiene is obvious.
Although the Council installed cameras to prevent vandalism, it seems that they are no deterrent whatsoever as the terminal, which is only 10 years old, continues to progressively deteriorate
But it seems that at long last the coalition council, made up of members from the PP and C’s, has finally decided to act.
With a planned budget of 60,000 euros, according to the mayor María Gómez, tenders have now been received from local companies for the terminal’s refurbishment. “We will remove all of the windows and make them safe” said the mayor. “They are always broken, so replacing the glass is not the thing to do”.
“In two or three months everything will be repaired, since all the tender documentation was completed at the end of last year and we are now in an advanced stage of awarding the contract”.
The abandonment of the terminal occurred following the closure of the station cafeteria. Once the refurbishment work has been completed the cafe will be reopened as the mayor expects that there are individuals or companies interested in providing this service.
The Socialists warn of the “worrying image of the municipality created by the state of the bus terminal” and lament that it is “the first impression that a visitor has of the municipality, one of only abandonment and dirt”.
The majority of users of the bus station are students who travel every day to the universities and colleges in Elche and Orihuela.
