Any driver that approached a blue-zone parking-ticket machine in the centre of Guadix on the Monday the 4th had the agreeable surprise to find them inoperative!

Each one bore the short notice: extinction of service, leaving no doubt that the blue zones had bitten the dust, as promised in November by the Mayor, José Antonio González. The blue-zone workers had spent Sunday removing the tariff displays and placing the end-of-service notice in their place.

But whereas drivers, both residents and visitors to the city might have felt mildly euphoric over the discovery, the town’s shop-owners and traders are not happy bunnies. The socialist opposition groups, the PSOE and IU, were also critical of the decision. Finally, the four employees of the blue-zone, all in their 50’s, weren’t chuffed either.

(News: Guadix, Granada, Andalucia)