RONDA TO GAUCÍN ROAD CUT
By David Eade
The A-369 that now has ‘carretera paisajística’ status has been cut to traffic. The road that runs from Ronda to Gaucín was closed on Monday after a giant crack and earth slippage occurred in the tarmac. Whilst the road is being repaired traffic is being diverted from Atajate to Jimera de Líbar – Cortes de la Frontera and then back on to the A-369 between Gaucín and Algatocín.
The road damage is approximately two kilometres from Algatocín. Work crews were on site from the early hours of Monday morning to evaluate the damage and to carry out emergency repairs. The cutting of the road has affected some 10,000 people in the Serranía especially those in the Genal Valley.
The giant crack cuts across virtually both lanes of the road and in places is a metre deep. The damage to the 26 million euros road is said to have been caused by recent rains although the surface in this area has shown cracks and subsidence for some months.
THIEVES STEAL 80,000 EUROS FROM UNICAJA, PROBABLYThere is an air of mystery about the theft of 80,000 euros from the Unicaja bank by Ronda’s bus station on Friday. An armoured security lorry delivered the money to the bank during opening hours so that the ATM cash machine could be filled for the weekend.
However after the delivery was made the staff suddenly noticed that the bag with the money in was missing. They immediately called the National Police who alerted the Guardia Civil and although road blocks were set up there was no sign of the cash.
People in the bank at the time told police that a woman and two men were there also and they suspect one of they distracted a member of staff whilst the others made off with the cash. The Chief Inspector of the National Police, José Antonio Alés, said that crimes of this style were increasing in frequency as thieves now knew that banks took large deliveries of cash on Friday for the weekend periods when the ATMs were in heavy use.
ROCK FALLS
The recent heavy rains, especially over the weekend period, have caused rock and earth falls from the Tajo gorge. Ronda’s councillor for the environment, Alberto Orozco, stated that there had not been any damage to the properties at the foot of the gorge.
TRULLI GREAT
This week the Toyota Formula 1 racing team are at the Ascari race track in Ronda as part of the testing programme ahead of this year’s racing season. Star drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock held a photo session for the media before they and their race teams got down to the serious business. Toyota will be at Ascari for several days.
The recent heavy rains, especially over the weekend period, have caused rock and earth falls from the Tajo gorge. Ronda’s councillor for the environment, Alberto Orozco, stated that there had not been any damage to the properties at the foot of the gorge.
TRULLI GREAT
This week the Toyota Formula 1 racing team are at the Ascari race track in Ronda as part of the testing programme ahead of this year’s racing season. Star drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock held a photo session for the media before they and their race teams got down to the serious business. Toyota will be at Ascari for several days.
NO PROCESSION
On Saturday Ronda celebrated the day of its patron, the Virgen de la Paz, who is also the perpetual mayor of the town. Thousands of people turned out to honour the Virgin but the veneration had to be confined to the Merced church. By tradition the valuable statue is carried through the streets but sadly bad weather caused the cancellation of this emotive event.
On Saturday Ronda celebrated the day of its patron, the Virgen de la Paz, who is also the perpetual mayor of the town. Thousands of people turned out to honour the Virgin but the veneration had to be confined to the Merced church. By tradition the valuable statue is carried through the streets but sadly bad weather caused the cancellation of this emotive event.
MALAGA ROAD
The new, upgraded road connecting the Venta El Cordobes with Ardales will be ready in the spring. The project has been in the pipeline for 15 years and the laying of tarmac has been delayed because of the rains. Once open it will mean that vehicles will be able to travel between Ronda and Málaga in an hour as opposed to the current 90minutes.
The new, upgraded road connecting the Venta El Cordobes with Ardales will be ready in the spring. The project has been in the pipeline for 15 years and the laying of tarmac has been delayed because of the rains. Once open it will mean that vehicles will be able to travel between Ronda and Málaga in an hour as opposed to the current 90minutes.
PERFUMED RAIDERS
Police in Ronda have arrested three men and two women who are accused of stealing perfume worth 1,700 euros from shops in the main trading street, the calle Espinel. They were caught with three special bags that prevented the shops’ alarm systems being activated. A trader alerted the police who chased the group to their Mercedes for which they had no documentation or insurance.
Police in Ronda have arrested three men and two women who are accused of stealing perfume worth 1,700 euros from shops in the main trading street, the calle Espinel. They were caught with three special bags that prevented the shops’ alarm systems being activated. A trader alerted the police who chased the group to their Mercedes for which they had no documentation or insurance.
TELEPHONE MONEY
An off-duty policeman in Ronda was stunned when he found a woman’s handbag in a telephone booth with 4,650 euros in cash inside. He took the bag to the police station and as there was no identification documents a ten-day search started for the owner. It belonged to a homeless woman who had received a one-off social services payment. She’d been hospitalised in Málaga.
An off-duty policeman in Ronda was stunned when he found a woman’s handbag in a telephone booth with 4,650 euros in cash inside. He took the bag to the police station and as there was no identification documents a ten-day search started for the owner. It belonged to a homeless woman who had received a one-off social services payment. She’d been hospitalised in Málaga.
PLAN Z
The 6.4 million euros allocated to Ronda under the central government’s ‘Plan Zapatero’ will be spent on 50 projects that will involve all areas of the town and the outlying villages. It will create 273 jobs, see the creation of a roundabout in the plaza de España, the refurbishing of the old court house and the paving of the calle Armiñán.
The 6.4 million euros allocated to Ronda under the central government’s ‘Plan Zapatero’ will be spent on 50 projects that will involve all areas of the town and the outlying villages. It will create 273 jobs, see the creation of a roundabout in the plaza de España, the refurbishing of the old court house and the paving of the calle Armiñán.
