STOP PRESS – FOUR PEOPLE RESCUED AS RONDA HIT BY DELUGEBy David Eade
The weather maps had predicted lighting for Ronda on Tuesday but the storm that hit the town at around 15.30 took everyone by surprise. Four people had to be rescued as the Met Office said 32 litres of rain per square metre fell in an hour although the town hall claims it was 50.
The thunder had rumbled as the storm approached, strong gusts of winds sent people scrambling to close their windows and shutters, the sky became black and then the heavens opened.
For half an hour rain and hail poured down on the town causing chaos and the main shopping street, La Bola, was flooded. Other areas of Ronda including Las Peñas, Padre Jesús, the UVA, the Baños Árabes were all awash and the police and fire brigade had to rescue four people trapped in their homes.
It was a busy afternoon for the fire brigade that answered 38 calls, the police forces, Protección Civil, the works department of the town hall and Sevillana-Endesa as they tackled the mayhem including collapsed walls in over one hundred streets and the resulting loss of power supplies.
NO PARKING IN THE OLD TOWNBy David Eade
Last Monday Ronda closed the car park by the town’s famous 200-year old bullring and the paseo de Blas Infante is now a pedestrian only zone. This caused anger amongst the businesses in the central town who fear they will loose customers but the town hall was forced to act after the Andalucía heritage ministry ordered the removal of vehicles from this historic site.
Now this Monday Ronda’s traffic department has started the first phase of making the historic quarter also pedestrian only. This means that even residents will be barred from parking on the streets and plazas of the old town.
The councillor responsible for traffic said the initiative was to preserve the heritage of the town and to make it easier for tourist to walk round the area to see the various sights.
First the pedestrian only areas are being introduced on the left side of the old town where the majority of the historic sites stand. Over the coming days the same measure will be put in force on the right side.
There will be one parking zone in this area at the former Castillo College. The patio has been converted in to a car park which can accommodate up to 200 vehicles although some of these spaces will be allocated to local residents. It is also close by the town hall so can be used by people who have business at the various municipal offices.
Visitors to Ronda are therefore urged to park their vehicles in the numerous car parks in the new town which are all clearly signed. Day trippers can travel on the tourist coaches and there are also frequent train or bus services from Málaga or the Costa del Sol to the town of the Tajo.
WOUND UP
It wasn’t so long ago that the Partido Popular in Ronda was part of the governing team. Then the coalition pact was broken by then Partido Andalucista mayor Antonio Marín who later led his councillors in to PSOE. Now the PP has wound up its existing party because of internal divisions and appointed a manager who will reorganize the entire structure in Ronda.
ROMERO HONOURED
Ronda’s feria dedicated to the father of bullfighting Pedro Romero will this year be held between September 2 and 6. The fair is one of the major events of its type in Andalucía and has been declared of tourist interest. The poster has been designed by local artist Antonio Valle and honours both Romero and Rondeña women who are shown in Goyesca dress.
CONSECUTIVE DROP
The jobless total for July in Ronda is down again, the only municipality in the province where a third consecutive month drop has been recorded. The total now stands at 3,700 which is 79 less than in June with 300 finding work in the last three months. In 2005 only 2030 were unemployed in July and the figure has increased every year since.
BRAILLE MAP
Ronda has become the first town in Spain to produce a Braille map so that blind people can find their way around the key tourist spots. It was designed by Juan Manuel Medina who is himself blind. The work has been funded by the tourism office and Unicaja. The map highlights 22 places of interest and gives a detailed description of each in Braille.
CAR RIFLED
Seprona, the environmental arm of the Guardia Civil, spotted a four-wheel drive vehicle acting suspiciously in the Peñón de Berruco nature reserve of Cortes de la Frontera. They stopped and searched the vehicle and found inside a rifle with a telescopic sight, silencer plus ammunition. Two men in the car did not have a licence for the rifle and are suspected of being poachers.
ON LINE
Adif, the infrastructure company of the Spanish railway system, is to spend nearly 28 million euros over 24 months up grading the line between Ronda and Estación de Gaucín. This will include installing new electronic signalling equipment to improve safety and the relaying of the track involving work at Ronda, Arriate, Indiana, Benaoján, Jimera de Líbar, Cortes de la Frontera and Gaucín stations.
