The neighbourhood association for the Albaicín quarter in the city of Granada doesn't want their streets covered in wax this Semana Santa.

Accordingly, they asked the Archbishop of Granada, José María Gil Tamayo, to speak with the Semana Santa brotherhoods and get them to stop dripping trails of wax along their narrow and steep streets, making them dangerous for pedestrians and anybody on two wheels.

The same letter requesting this also welcomed him to his new post as Archbishop.

They point out that it is always easier to keep streets clean rather than having to clean them up; i.e. not dripping wax in the first place vs. the difficult chore of getting the wax removed.

“The Town Hall has the obligation of removing the wax as soon as possible but it cannot be done immediately nor can it be done completely because there are always traces of it that take time to disappear,” points out the letter.

The neighbourhood association also considers it unfair that if there is an accident, it is the City Hall that bears responsibility, rather than those that have caused it; i.e., the Semana Santa brotherhoods. They point out that some of the said brotherhoods wash their hands of this kind of problem as they have a civil-responsibility coverage (insurance).

“We do not consider it [civil-liability insurance] enough as just because a driver has vehicle insurance, it does not relieve him of the obligation to drive with due caution,” they argued in the letter, adding that they consider the attitude of the said brotherhoods, “denotes scarce Christian spirit.”

(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)