Almuñécar will have to spend 30,000 euros on replacing most of the bollards around town, as they do not conform to regulations, thanks to a new law.

The Decreto Andaluz de Accesibilidad was approved and comes into effect at the beginning of 2019.

The substitution will be done in stages, owing to the availability of the new bollards – every municipality in Andalucía is after them.

The new law stipulates that they must be between 75cm and 90cm high – many of the Almuñécar ones are far shorter, guaranteeing the unwary a collision if they’re not looking down. The bollards must now be at least 10cm in diametre and have rounded heads with no adornments. Lastly, they must be painted in a colour that contrasts with the surroundings so that they can be seen more easily at night.

The first part of town to receive the new bollards will be the Barrio La Paloma, where other work has recently been carried out on pavements and kerbs. Another area is from the Altillo to the Calle Teatro and Alta del Mar (Coliseo area). After that it’s the Puerta del Mar and adjacent streets area.

Most importantly, they can’t be set in a pedestrians way – a favourite trick in Almuñécar where they have them at the ends of a zebra crossings, so you bang your shin or trip over them because you’re checking the oncoming traffic and not looking at your feet.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)