By Giles Brown

THE father of a British girl killed crossing the busy A-7 has slammed the decision of Estepona Town Hall to build a skatepark just metres from the road.

David Davies has criticised the park, which is being installed just 200 metres from where his daughter was killed.

Ashley was only seven when she was struck by a car as she crossed the dual carriageway in El Saladillo in 2002.

She had been crossing the busy road, which at the time had no footbridge, to get to a Mercadona supermarket in Bel Air.

Handyman Davies, 42, is ‘very concerned’ that another youngster will be killed trying to reach the park, which is just 10 metres from the road.

“We can’t believe that the town hall have built a skatepark so dangerously close to the main road,” he said.

“If this park opens there will be loads of kids going there and hanging around. It’s just a recipe for another tragedy. I really hope something can be done to stop this.”

As this Olive Press photo shows, the busy road is used by heavy goods lorries, including container traffic to and from Algeciras Port.

In addition the main access road into Cancelada is on the other side of the park.

When we visited the half finished site, we were was shocked to see that there seemed to be nothing between the park and the passing traffic apart from a slim barrier.

Local housewife Silvia Ramos is also concerned about safety.

“It is in a terrible location, right next to the main road,” she said.”It’s very dangerous.”

The park is also unpopular with skateboarders who claim they have had no input in the design of the facility.

“They clearly don’t have a clue what they are doing,” wrote one disgruntled skateboarder on the website Switchy.com.

“The ramps are in the wrong place looks as if a child had designed this,” he added.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Apart from the danger from traffic, just imagine all the fumes from the motorway. I’m sure the intention was good, but it’s just another brainless project from the local authority. If only Spain could acquire some common sense, they could turn this country around in no time.

  2. Fred said what I was thinking before reading his comment. Skateboarding is very breath consuming and this solution is like jogging on a side of a motorway. Also the design flaws seems to be in many places and countries. Totally useless, newly built skate park in Finland also. Seems to be fine for BMX tho… Skate park in Fuengirola was claimed in some article to be the best in Spain and 1-3rd best in Europe. How can it be if the flat is twisted and the rest is mostly bowls? Park is surrounded with trees that drop leaves with a big and hard seed in them, bringing a skateboard to an instant stop.

    Best skate parks were in the early 2000 when we, the kids built them from scrap materials collected around a town on a schosen good flat!

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