Albox currently has a traffic problem. The previous corporation decided to close to vehicular traffic the artery that connected two very populated areas of the municipality, as the street that facilitated the circulation to schools, health centres and historic neighbourhoods such as the Alto district. From there, it also relieved traffic congestion and allowed direct access to several districts.
Then the perimeter of the Plaza Mayor was extended, the connection was cancelled and today it is an odyssey to drive from one area to another, to access some pharmacies (especially for the elderly) or an added difficulty for any health emergency.
The opening of the square was one of the workhorses of the Popular Party, who won the elections. Today, three months after taking office, the square is still closed to traffic.
The local PSOE has echoed the street’s run, “demanding that the government team adopt urgent measures to improve circulation in the area around the Plaza Mayor, a space closed to traffic for its pedestrianisation, the consequences of which, due to a lack of planning, is causing traffic problems in the adjoining streets”.
Thus, in a letter addressed to the mayoress, the PSOE albojense through its spokesperson, Mari Trinidad, requests that “a complete traffic study be carried out in the streets adjacent to the Plaza Mayor where vehicles are currently circulating after the closure of this space and that, at the same time, measures be taken to improve circulation in these streets. In addition, they advocate a call for a competition of ideas to find a comprehensive and definitive solution to the Plaza Mayor, the area around the fairgrounds, the Rambla, Ramblica Meona and all the adjoining streets to achieve the dual objective of preserving the area of the Plaza Mayor that has been pedestrianised and solve the problems of vehicle circulation”.
Perhaps a complete study will take time. The competition for ideas will probably also require more time, and it is possible that both ideas are the best way to avoid repeating mistakes. But what is certain is that the Plaza Mayor street needs to be opened as soon as possible. It was a problem before the elections and it is still a problem today.