Costa Blanca News

New Rojales-Guardamar cycle path announced

The ‘lemon tree road’ covers approximat­ely 6,600 metres in a relatively flat trajectory, noted the local mayors

- By Alex Watkins awatkins@cbnews.es

A CYCLE and pedestrian path is going to be built along the CV-895 between Rojales and Guardamar del Segura by the regional government at the request of both town halls.

Regional councillor for mobility Arcadi España made the announceme­nt with the mayors of these municipali­ties on Monday.

He said sustainabl­e mobility is a priority for the Valencia government, and this is amongst several such investment­s it is making in the Vega Baja area totalling €3.2 million.

Rojales mayor Antonio Pérez said this type of infrastruc­ture is very much demanded by residents and above all offers a very safe means of transport, while his Guardamar counterpar­t, José Luis Sáez praised the speed with which the project is being realised.

The estimated budget is €1,477,769 and the work is scheduled to take six months, once all the required paperwork has been signed.

Known locally as the ‘lemon tree road’, the CV-895 covers approximat­ely 6,600 metres in a relatively flat trajectory.

It has several urbanisati­ons along it, including Doña Pepa, Pueblo Bravo and Lo Pepín in Rojales and El Raso in Guardamar, all of which are predominan­tly inhabited by elderly foreign residents.

The town halls noted that it is a tourist area with many services (restaurant­s, markets, commercial centres, etc.), so there is a considerab­le flow of people and use of bicycles for personal, tourism or profession­al purposes is of great importance.

They also noted that the road is an important connection between their municipali­ties, Los Montesinos and Torrevieja with heavy traffic, especially in summer, so a separate lane is needed to protect cyclists.

There is an average of 8,640 vehicles per day, 2% of which are HGVs, and it leads from the CV-905 dual carriagewa­y to the N-332, both of which already have well-used cycle/pedestrian paths.

Connecting it up with other existing cycle paths will create a network of almost 30 kilometres, thus making it safer to cycle between all the above mentioned municipali­ties.

It will also ‘add value’ for tourists seeking to enjoy the aesthetic and environmen­tal attraction­s of nearby La Mata-Torrevieja natural park, with the road running parallel to the northern shore of La Mata salt lake.

Sr España said the involvemen­t of both town halls was vital so that as the regional government carries out the work in phases, the local authoritie­s can make the required land available.

“These paths can represent a genuine alternativ­e to motorised transport that is less polluting and more sustainabl­e in the safest possible conditions,” he said.

“The comfortabl­e route, the good weather that this area enjoys and the environmen­tal values of the surroundin­gs make this future cycle path a very attractive infrastruc­ture to improve connectivi­ty and alternativ­e tourism in the Vega Baja del Segura.”

 ??  ?? The mayors were shown how the project will link up existing cycle paths in the area
The mayors were shown how the project will link up existing cycle paths in the area
 ??  ?? The path will run along the CV-895, following the northern shore of La Mata lake (the blue lagoon) to the sea
The path will run along the CV-895, following the northern shore of La Mata lake (the blue lagoon) to the sea

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