Email
July 20, 2018
Dear CB News,
I am writing about something that has bothered me for some weeks. I normally have morning coffee at Plaza Luceros in the centre of Alicante city. My late wife and I always enjoyed sitting on the terrace there, talking, and watching people. Now I am a bit concerned as the Plaza has a large number of elderly – including me. Today the sidewalks appear to be getting very dangerous for people in that there are a large number of bicycles, scooters, two wheeler, inline skates, and skateboards using the sidewalks. In the past week, I have almost been hit by a bike and again by a skateboard going from my apartment to the Plaza.
I was on the sidewalk walking home and a guy on a skateboard came around the corner with speed and I had to jump out of the way or get hit. Are we going to lose the sidewalks to these people using the new powered two wheelers and skateboards? If an old lady steps out of a store onto the sidewalk, she may risk getting hit by some of these people. In some places these wheelers seem to be taking over the sidewalks and that is very unfortunate, as if an elderly person is hit that may be the end for the person.
I can understand that the ‘roller crowd’ do not want be in the streets but to take over the sidewalks is not good. The way the drivers are is a danger and I certainly would not like to be a skater when the drivers do not signal and one cannot tell where they are driving. But to make the sidewalks dangerous for pedestrians is not good either. There must be a middle ground to solve this problem. One of my elderly friends was hit by a moto on a sidewalk a year ago and she never fully recovered.
Sincerely,
Robert Allison
