PIOC Press Release
Anybody trying to get around Orihuela Costa on foot whilst pushing a young child in a buggy or while using a wheelchair is taking a major risk.
It is apparent that the needs of these two groups were never considered by planners and continue to be a low priority for our council.
Perhaps our mayor or her deputy should spend a day in a wheelchair to fully understand and appreciate the consequences of their intransigence toward young mums and disabled residents living on the Coast.
Parents who try to walk their child to school whilst manoeuvring a younger sibling in a pushchair are forced to take risks which are totally unacceptable. Most pavements are not wide enough for a parent to hold the hand of a young child, never mind hold their child’s hand whilst pushing a buggy containing a preschool child, and motorists getting frustrated at parents walking in the road, rarely give any thought to the reasons why they are forced to do so.
As well as un-navigable ramps along pavements, many pavements are littered with obstructions, including overgrowing shrubbery and bushes, that narrow the pavement and provide a real hazard for pushchairs, wheelchairs, but more crucially anyone who is blind or with restricted vision.
There are so many examples where householders fail to keep their plants within the confines of their own garden causing injury to pedestrians. Spiky plants such as bougainvillea with uncontrolled shoots over pavements. These plants can blind the unsuspecting pedestrian or imbed their huge spikes into passers-by.
In Orihuela far more attention is paid to pedestrian restrictions whilst the consideration to people with reduced mobility on the coast is far less.
Our council needs to seriously invest time and money into the area if they wish to restore the imbalance of years of discrimination. We need councillors from the coast who will fight for the needs of the coast.
If it is your intention to vote in the next Municipal Elections watch out for our special events around the coast explaining the registration process with a special guest to answer questions.
Remember you need to be a resident for at least 3 years. In the meantime, you can help by checking that your details are correct on your padron, especially your address.
