EVERYTHING IS FINE IN ORIHUELA AND THE COAST

If you park your car in one of the orange zone parking spaces, without the necessary permit, you get a fine. Some may say this is fair and right, after all, we expect traffic fines for illegal activities, don´t we. What about those who display an out of date “VADO PERMANENTE” sign? Well, they too will get fined, which is also acceptable for those who have simply printed one off from their computer or bought one in a discount store, without paying the appropriate fees. How about crossing the pavement? Well, if you´re a pedestrian, then fine, there is not a problem, but if you are crossing the pavement in your car, perhaps to simply access your own property, with or without the no parking sign, then things a not so fine for you, as you will be charged a tax for crossing the pavement. Okay, pavements are for pedestrians and cars cause damage, so perhaps this is also not necessarily as ridiculous as it might seem.

So far, there has not been any suggestion that vehicles parked on the pavement will be issued a tax as well as the fine, nor the heavy goods vehicles who some might say cause the most damage. Will a taxi be taxed for picking you up, will the police when they drive or ride on the pavement? Well, only time will tell.

Nobody wants to see damage to the pavements, especially as somebody has to pay to have it fixed. Is it fair that the town hall, or the residents ultimately, pay for damage caused by just a handful of people who choose to park their cars on their own land, next to their property, rather than leave it on the street. The insurance companies realise this is a safer place, which is why they offer cheaper premiums. Some might say that it will be an even safer place to park, because as the town hall switches off street lights in the middle of the night, in a bid to save money, and those streets are plunged into darkness, then maybe it will be a lot scarier than it is now. But then, at least the tripping hazard of damaged paving stones will be reduced for those pedestrians who do brave a walk in the unlit residential areas of the municipality. Oh course, one has to wonder about low energy light bulbs instead. The Mayor is from the Green party, I´m sure he would have heard of them.

If you are carrying out building work then your license to carry out that work must be clearly displayed, so that the inspectors can see that you have permission for the work and that you comply with the agreed times. How long before inspectors notice the money that could be gathered from the lack of planning permission attained for that gazebo, outhouse, shed or extension?

The commitment to renew habitation certificates, or Certificate of First or Second Residency, as they are now known, is lapse in a lot of places, but not for long if the paper clampdown continues, after all, as the councillor responsible said, Antonio Zapata of the PSOE, “the law is quite clear”, so it must be enforced and “every town hall has a commitment to do so”. So it wouldn´t be right to pick and choose which law to enforce.

If you are trying to run a business and your license is not correct, then even the smallest anomaly can result in a fine. If you play music, disturb the peace, annoy the residents, make noise, then you too will face a fine. We are not just talking bars and restaurants of course, few can forget the school that was shut down and the children displaced, some with no hope of finding an alternative educational establishment, as the business didn´t have the correct licenses. It was later reopened, but not without the stress and disruption to the very young attendees.

Valencia has started to enforce the laws relating to rubbish being placed in dustbins, how long will it be before we are fined for disposing of waste outside the recognised evening hours? Litter in the street, of course is an eyesore, “if only there were more bins”, some people have said. Torrevieja has threatened to get tough on dog mess in the street, with huge fines for those who don´t comply. This is yet another opportunity that will no doubt spread into Orihuela. Cigarette dips on the beach are already punishable by fines, but has anybody ever actually had to pay?

It may not be possible for one government team to enforce all of the laws that may well be causing concerned, but they will no doubt do their very best, if only to justify the positions that they hold. It is a beautiful picture of an ideal world, free of waste, rubbish, noise, pollution, damage to pavements and the threat of crime or damage to property. If everybody did comply with the law, then lots of these problems would be avoided, but the fact is that many people either can´t comply, sometimes through confusion or lack of understanding, or won´t comply, perhaps through arrogance or financial restraint, but at least those who find themselves in a position of being caught will at least be aware that all is not as fine as you think right now, but your fine will go some way to making Orihuela a great, albeit potentially expensive, bureaucratic and officious place to live.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/32755/

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