The darkness falls dense on the edge of the Tres Xemeneies del Besòs at nightfall. It’s been a month and a half since no streetlight has illuminated a half-kilometre straight line. The delay in replacing the lighting in part of the unguarded area since a vast power cable theft was committed forces us to grope in the section of Eduard Maristany avenue where Sant Adrià de Besòs and Badalona meet. It occurs at the foot of the dismantled thermal power plant, the epicenter of a pending urban reform to colonize the last uninhabited strip of the Barcelona coast and silent witness to the emptiness that, for now, surrounds her.
The stretch lacking lighting makes its way between the old plant and the railway, with no houses flanking it. In any case, it is frequented by cyclists who travel the lane that connects with Barcelona and, above all, the inhabitants of the maritime neighborhood of La Mora, in Badalona, dependent on the only artery that exonerates them from isolation and leads to the Rodalies and tram stops in Sant Adrià. The route is unpleasant in itself, with the only existing sidewalk battered and crossed with weeds, a strip of unpaved land and a narrowness that is extreme right on the border of both towns. The walk is even more inhospitable due to the absence of light at sunset, which forces pedestrians to help themselves with flashlights to try not to trip.
“We really risked going in the dark on the avenue, which is in very poor condition. People are afraid”, explains Eva Dallo. She lives in La Mora and has promoted a Cycling march called for next Saturday from 6:00 p.m.. As a protest, he will pedal from the station to the Tres Xemeneies, the section that in recent weeks has been left in the dark when the sun goes down. “It reflects that the administrations talk about sustainability but they don’t know what it is,” criticizes Dallo. People who want to leave their car should be helped and supported, but in our neighborhood it is impossible. Under these conditions, we can’t even walk to the sports center or take the train.”
bureaucratic obstacles
The persistent blackout it has become entrenched on the side of the street that runs over land in Sant Adrià. Badalona reestablished power on its side a few days after the theft of wiring was perpetrated. On the other hand, the municipality of the neighboring town alleges that it has run into bureaucratic obstacles by urging the lighting maintenance company to take charge of the wrong.
“We are having problems with the current contract to act according to what situations. That is why it is taking time & rdquor ;, justifies the Mayor of Sant Adrià, Filo Cañete. The mayor hopes to unravel the repair in the next few days, “even if it is provisional & rdquor ;, he points out. “Between Monday or Tuesday we should have confirmation of dates for a solution, if not that the performance has already started & rdquor ;, he points out.
In the Badalona City Council they comment that La Mora residents urge you to put pressure on Sant Adrià so that the arrangement is not postponed any longer. Although the affected section is part of another town, the residents of the neighborhood are the ones who use it the most.
“Almost no one from Sant Adrià uses that pass, but for us it is essential. We have no other way to take public transport& rdquor ;, remarks Montse Martínez, secretary of the Neighborhood Association of La Mora and Port de Badalona. “In addition, the lack of light is a problem for people who ride a bike in that section, which is dangerous. The darkness is intolerable and a risk to a street that is already sufficiently degraded& rdquor ;, complains Martínez.
pending works
The municipalities of Badalona and Sant Adrià agreed in 2021 with Endesa and Metrovacesa -the main owners of the land where the building is planned- to remodel the section to widen the sidewalk and the road. The works, entrusted to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, have not yet begun.
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The delay in restoring the lighting deepens the grievances that frustrate in the area, devoid of services. The most notorious is the prolonged closure due to the detection of potentially carcinogenic contamination on the Sant Adrià beach, which the Ministry of Ecological Transition plans to clean so that it can reopen next spring. A section of the coast of La Mora has suffered an identical closure since 2017, also due to the discovery of unhealthy industrial waste. It is unknown when it will heal.
“We don’t feel powerless. Many things happen in our neighborhood that have not been resolved& rdquor ;, regrets Martínez. “It is a very abandoned area. What happens is pure urban speculation, without any kind of planning or services. Everything together is nonsense & rdquor ;, Dallo protests.