This Wednesday, the Platform for El Canarete and Mobility Between Poniente and Almeria met with Eloisa Cabrera (the Delegate for Public Works), to discuss the needs for improving public transport. She was responding to growing complaints about saturation.
However, the delegate focused on El Canarete settlement, which is under the Government of Spain’s responsibility. She urged the Government of Spain to use European funds to help the neighbors who have suffered “daily” for “a very long time.” He believes there are solutions to mobility that do not just go through El Canarete highway, but also through other actions, such as the third lane or remodeling the El Parador junction in order to connect with Bypass.
The delegate stated that it was unacceptable for a municipality of more than 100,000 people, where in summer there is a population double perfectly, which is also known as a dormitory town, to have only one access. He, however, insists that there are other options, possibilities, and funds.
Juan Carlos Oyonarte (Platform’s spokesperson) held a meeting shortly before with representatives of the Platform. They had requested the meeting days earlier.
Oyonarte offered a positive evaluation of the meeting with Cabrera. In which Oyonarte highlighted the need to strengthen public transportation and bet upon new solutions to change mobility habits of citizens to decrease dependence on private cars, Oyonarte emphasized the importance of reducing the number of vehicles on roads.
Cabrera said that he would provide technical support for the Platform in the preparation of the mobility study that neighborhood groups wish to conduct in the next months. He also promised to inform them about the reinforcements made to meet the needs of the population.
The Development Delegation meeting took place just before the concentration they wanted to hold in front of Intermodal Station. A few Platform members attended the event with the cardboard model Cercanias train they had displayed in protest a few weeks back.
They started a campaign to gather signatures to demand that the Administrations take the necessary measures. This included the repair of Poniente’s road and its connections to the capital. This corresponds with the Government of Spain and solutions of public transport comparable to those of other Andalusian metro areas, in which infrastructures like trams or trains are in place.
After the campaign at the Intermodal Station to obtain the Metropolitan Transport Consortium, which is dependent on the Board for funding, the Platform announced that it will move the action next week to the Sub-delegation on June 29. “We request urgent and temporary measures to address the current emergency situation and permanent measures in El Canarete’s interventions so that this situation doesn’t repeat itself,” stated the spokesperson for the group which includes neighborhood associations, unions, and parties.
