Amazingly, and exhasperatingly, the Town Hall intends to extend the 11-to-11 Blue Zones to La Galera (Taramay). The reason why this is so controversial is because on this road leading to the beach Hotel Playacálida and Playa Pozuelo (Iguana) there are no shops or offices – just residential housing.

The whole concept behind the use of Blue Zones was to promote fluid parking in the town commerical centre, so that visitors and residents alike had the chance of find parking in front of the business premises they wished to visit. Just about everybody agrees that it was a good idea. However, blue-zoning beach front roads is highly counter-productive to Almuñécar’s tourist trade. Such is the state of things that 80% of business owners in La Herradura are against the blue-zone altogether.

Salobreña had decided to follow Almuñécar’s example on this, in the search of funds for its public coffers, but such was the indignation felt and furore created by protesting beach-front businesses, the Town Hall there was forced to drop the idea.

Sadly, no such collective expression of rejection has manifested itself in suffering Almuñécar, despite all the paseos marítimos in La Herradura and Almuñécar groaning under the blue-zone burden.

Bear in mind that as of the 1st of July until the 30th of September, blue zone parking will be imposed from 11 until 11, seven days a week; including Sundays! That’s 2,500 paying parking places, remember.

You can’t help feeling that tourist who brave the traffic jams to get here, only to be penalised for using our beaches, deserve a medal… or a stint in a mental asylum.