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Plans are being drawn up to make Malaga's industrial estates and airport more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
The area from the Azucarera bridge to the Churriana access, passing Makro and the airport, is hostile to pedestrians and bicycles. But councillor for mobility Trinidad Hernández said mobility in the area is poor and only favours those who have a car.
"When I was director general of mobility, I was commissioned to carry out a study of the entire stretch of the MA-21 ceded by the ministry, then the ministry of public works, to change its configuration. With one aim: to provide pedestrian, bicycle and safe access," Hernández said. That study was delivered to town hall at the end of 2022.
It was then incorporated as part of Partido Popular's election promises: "It is a commitment of the government team and we are trying to implement it as soon as possible. In fact, I can tell you that the management team is already developing it because they are asking us for technical reports".
The debate was kickstarted after a Socialists initiative to improve pedestrian and public transport in the airport area. The motion pointed out the obvious problems of safety and the risk of being run over. Among other issues, it emphasised the deficiency of public transport stops, the excess of weeds in ditches and verges, and poor lighting.
The old N-340 became MA-21 when its management was transferred to Malaga city council by the then ministry of public works. It was in 2013, as part of a batch of 34.9 kilometres of state roads that became municipal responsibility in exchange for obtaining the land of the Benítez camp to turn it into a park.
Among the issues being pointed out by technicians are several fundamental ones. The first is to lower the speed limit from the current 80 kilometres per hour to 50. The second would involve reducing the current three lanes in each direction to two. This would make way for wide pavements, bicycle lanes and bus stops. And the third, to change traffic flow and include at least two roundabouts.
The first roundabout would be in the area around the La Concha (Azucarera) neighbourhood so vehicles can access this area or change direction without having to enter the Azucarera-Intelhorce road or take the exit to the Martín Carpena roundabout. The second would be located at the Villa Rosa and Makro industrial estates to direct road traffic towards these business areas and the airport.
A third one is being studied between the San Julián neighbourhood and the Bahía Azul business park, opposite the airport's main runway, and would be related to the roads of the commercial areas and their extensions (Plaza Mayor, Porcelanosa...).
"We have spoken to the airport and we are going to connect the cycle path as part of our bicycle master plan," said Hernández, who criticised the Socialists for the shortcomings of the Cercanías local train service. "It has to have more frequency and capacity," he added.
The project is now in the environmental phase. It will involve a road of less than two kilometres that will start from the Alhaurín de la Torre exit roundabout from the hyper-roundabout.
The project has not yet been finalised, so it is not possible to know timeframes and figures. "It is a major project, it is not a question of painting a line," Hernández said.
With this project, the council is also meeting the historical demands of businessmen. It is also the result of conversations with the Association of Industrial and Commercial Estates and Parks of Malaga (Apoma) to improve access to business areas such as Azucarera, Guadalhorce, Malaga Nostrum, Velázquez, Villa Rosa and the airport.
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