Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)By Nicola Cowell
THE Mayor of La Linea says his five euro ‘congestion charge’ will come into effect in October, despite widespread criticism.
Alejandro Sanchez wants to charge every car travelling to Gibraltar five euros to pass through the town, a toll which he likens to congestion charges in cities like London.
The mayor, who has an overall majority within the town’s council, says he does not expect a problem in getting council approval for the charge, which will exclude Gibraltar locals.
“I am ready for any measure by the Zapatero government to block the proposal,” he said.
Large lorries carrying construction waste into the rock will also be subject to a ‘radical charge’ as part of the plans, which the mayor hopes to put in place in time for the October bank holiday.
Some of your readers (ex pats) will probably be the first to have to pay the 5Euro Toll that the La Linea Mayor will be charging.I am referring to the ones that shop at Morrisons
I suspect us Gibbos will probably take the blame, as we always do, when the Quixotes practice their usual style of democracy and upset people’s right of movement within the EU.
Still, no matter what we are here to stay for eternity, by that I mean Gibraltar will never be Spanish because we Gibbos will never allow it, even if any means that outsiders are inconvenienced by it.
Alex
I wonder how much of any tax will go into the back pocket of the mayor and his cronies? We spend a few months in Spain every year and when there shop weekly in Gib and La Linea but that will go down to once a month and shopping in Spain will not be within the boundaries of La Linea any more, the mayor is only there because the people back him so *!@$ em!!!!
Lord Palmerston (may he rest in eternal peace) would have sent a gunboat and quite rightly too.
He may just find that International Treaties get in the way of his ‘cunning plan’. The EU one for example, which guarantees free movement of goods and services springs to mind. Schengen, Maastricht, Rome, and a few others might just get a mention when madrid ring him.
And breaking an International Treaty is by definition an act of War.
“The 6 Minute War” between Gibraltar and La Linea, will go down in the history books just like the war of Jenkins Ear.
I think there is probably a gunboat in the bay at the moment.
“And here, Ladies and Gentlemen” is the hole in the ground where La Linea used to be”.
As someone who lives in Gib this is where we will stay. If Sanchez wants to make it difficult for us to cross the border to spend our Euros – and charge us for the pleasure – then we will stay put.
We will not be spending any money in Spain whether in LL or beyond. We have already cancelled a family meal in a Chinese restaurant in LL and a trip to Benaojan plus meal in Molino del Santo. No more meals in Sotogrande or Duquesa for a while either. Shortly will be closing our Euro bank accounts in Spain. Too much hassle to get to them. Besides Lloyds in Gib. have a nice new Euro account now. Many of us are quite happy to be under seige. If this apology for a Mayor continues with this nonsense it might just be made harder for his constituents to enter here. He will be made to surrender by them. Than again as I posted elsewhere sometime ago, the Mayor could always hold a referendum with a view to seceding from Spain and becoming with San Roque part of a new Greater Gibraltar. giblover
I for one will stop using the La Linea market on a Wednesday, and will not bother with Carefour or any other shop in La Linea. There is plenty to offer elsewhere and I think the man has not worked out just what it is going to cost him, especially if the dual airport comes on line. I believe if he makes exceptions to the charge on where people live and where they work he comes within the remit of the definition of racicist.
I’m wondering how Alejandro Sanchez can afford to pay the workers to build the toll booths etc. Could anyone throw any light on this?
How about something really useful to everyone. A Park and Ride scheme in La Linea. You park your car there and get a bus ride direct to Gibraltar and Morisons. The bus could even jump the queues to make it even more advantageous.
Paying for a park and ride would be far more beneficial than a toll. Unnecessary traffic would be kept out of Gibraltar, the journey time would be a fraction, La Linea’s Council gets to make some money and local shops and restaurants near the park and ride would benefit as well.
Just make sure that there is plenty of space for luggage. I would be more than happy to pay 5 Euros to park my car and get a rapid bus ride to Gibraltar. All it needs is for someone to start thinking about working together.