Dick Dasterdly

Quite agree with you about the rubbish,although some progress is being made in educating them, there are still far too many with the attitude, out of sight out of mind, whether it be town or campo.
Maybe a few hefty fines or a dose of porridge might help them get their thinking straightened out.

pwwm

good post cricketman, was thinking along the asaem line, I like the way they stop for a natter, I now double park to go in the bread shop.Dont want to be like UK thank you

Rosemary

Agree with you both that we do not want Spain to turn into a copy of the UK.

I think that the things mentioned can be categorised as the Spanish ways that help to let you know that you live in a unique country.

Rosemary

fionamw

So what would you ask the mayor?

Lynn R

Who said anything about wanting Spain to become England? There are plenty of inconsiderate and lazy people doing stuff like that there as well.

So, to you it's acceptable that mothers with pushchairs, elderly people using walking sticks or zimmer frames, and wheelchair users, have to go into the road to get around cars blocking the pavement, or can't cross the road safely at a crossing because someone's parked over it? I don't care what country it happens in, it's not "just the way we do things here", it's not on.

What would these lazy and selfish drivers do if they got home to find a car parked across their driveway or blocking the entrance to their garage? I bet they'd waste no time calling the police or the grua.

As for the rubbish issue, this morning I passed a patch of waste ground on my way to the shops where building rubble and loads of domestic rubbish has been dumped. Not only is it unsightly and smelly, it's also a breeding ground for rats. I actually counted this morning, and it's exactly 55 steps from there to the nearest public rubbish bins. What possible excuse can there be for that?

Why does a country bother having laws at all, if there is no effort to enforce them?

fionamw

LynnR - while agreeing in large measure with your points and seeing your strength of feeling, can you put in words the specific question(s) you'd ask your mayor if you got the opportunity?

cricketman

Laws are guidelines, you should know that by now

Around here the problem is that the pavements are too narrow because the building developers couldnt be bothered to build them properly - and then they stuck things like trees and lamposts in the middle of them, making it a nightmare for pushchairs

Unfornately there is no easy fix, just got to take it as one of the "charms" of Andalucia. Btw its not like this in the North or Barcelona. We got our car towed for being 5 mins past the parking ticket time, 150 euro fine. Lovely!

jdr

No complaints really against ours, the last one got us a brand new hospital like a five star hotel.
This one has got us a new clinic and dramatically upgrading the roads and paths and green areas.
He is also taking a big interest in the needs of foreigners in the area, mmm I wonder why.

fionamw

By definition we're all furriners at our class, and I admit to wondering if I should ask what contribution or drain he/the ayuntamiento think we make.... would you ask?

jdr

I don`t think we (a third of the legal population) are a drain on them, in fact we probably add a few bob to the coffers.
www.benalmadena.com/extranjeros/english.php

busters mum

Why is there no municipal pool in Javea ?

fionamw

For some reason I thought Javea was quite big..... Colmenar's about 4,000 and has a (very good, though outdoor and not heated) pool.

busters mum

Exactly my point !!!! he has a brilliant one at his mansion !!!

Lynn R

I thought I'd done that in post #14, Fiona!

However, I think our Mayor's ears must have been burning earlier on. When I went out this afternoon I passed an even bigger dumping ground, where a family living above the old town walls routinely throw all their rubbish over the wall down to the hillside below. I know a French-Canadian couple living nearby who have been complaining about it for months. Lo and behold, all the rubbish had been removed this morning! If I keep trying the telepathy method, I might not have to ask the Mayor anything!

Trouble is, I bet there is more there tomorrow morning. Over the last 5 years I have seen this spot cleaned up quite a few times, only for the rubbish to accumulate again. Surely it would be more cost effective for the Ayuntamiento to get the Policia Local to identify the culprits, fine them and maybe get them to do community service by picking up the rubbish themselves, than have to stand the expense of repeated clean-ups without solving the problem at source?

HBG

I was innocently reading some of our local expat newspapers today, on the Costa Blanca, and you would be hard pushed to find any local mayors to ask about anything - they're being arrested and put in prison all over the place.

A pertinent question to my previous mayor would have been, 'How did you manage to buy a plot of rural land without planning permission for 140k and sell it two years later, with planning permission, for five million?'