Alicante is no exception when it comes to its traffic problems and getting from one place to another can be a rather slow affair.Pedro Garcia of the action group Alicante en Bici actually challenged a frien to a race across Alicante city,from Calle Doctor Rico on the San Blas trading estate to the town hall.Pedro would be on a bike and the friend driving a car.

The journey was 4.15 kilometres long and for Sr Garcia he clocked nine minutes and four seconds while his friend took 17 minutes and 25 seconds plus a further 3 minutes and 15 seconds to park his car and walk to the town hall.

The reason for all of this was to prove to the council that a system of cycle lanes would be a real asset to the city,it would encourage more people to use bicycles and would reduce pollution and congestion.These two me presented their proposal to the council on the day before the “Dia sin coche”day,which ended European Mobility week .In their application they have asked the mayor to develop the bicycle lane plan she announced a few months ago following calls for a bicycle and a bus lane on the Avenida de Denia.

Twenty people have been arrested by the National police in Murcia ,Elda and Villena on smuggling charges.They are charged with smuggling nine kilos of cocaine into Spain from Colombia.The police say that the nine kilos was part of a much larger consignment of 300 kilos that the gang was preparing to smuggle in.The drugs had a street value of over 1 million euros.

The investigation began some months ago when an undercover officer discovered a link between a known drug dealer and a small quantity of cocaine.Telephone taps revealed that this man was part of a gang based in Murcia with connections in Elda and Villena.It also revealed that they were arranging a big deal with a group in Colombia.

The gang used the transport links provided by an international importer,bringing it in via Valencia and then moving it to secure locations in Alicante Province.The drugs were intercepted in Villena on the same day the twenty men were arrested.

Searches of properties in Villena ,Elda and Murcia revealed a number of weapons and high powered vehicles,along with quantities of other drugs.All 20 have been remanded in custody while officers continue to investigate the whole operation.It is expected that more arrests will be made.

Twenty people have been arrested by the National police in Murcia ,Elda and Villena on smuggling charges.They are charged with smuggling nine kilos of cocaine into Spain from Colombia.The police say that the nine kilos was part of a much larger consignment of 300 kilos that the gang was preparing to smuggle in.The drugs had a street value of over 1 million euros.

The investigation began some months ago when an undercover officer discovered a link between a known drug dealer and a small quantity of cocaine.Telephone taps revealed that this man was part of a gang based in Murcia with connections in Elda and Villena.It also revealed that they were arranging a big deal with a group in Colombia.

The gang used the transport links provided by an international importer,bringing it in via Valencia and then moving it to secure locations in Alicante Province.The drugs were intercepted in Villena on the same day the twenty men were arrested.

Searches of properties in Villena ,Elda and Murcia revealed a number of weapons and high powered vehicles,along with quantities of other drugs.All 20 have been remanded in custody while officers continue to investigate the whole operation.It is expected that more arrests will be made.

Local councils across the Costa Blanca have felt the pinch since the construction industry hit the rocks and to make sure that they have enough money in their coffers they are beginning to increase local taxes.

For many councils the answer to this sharp fall in revenue has been an equally sharp rise in IBI taxes following a review of the catastro land value rates.This has seen towns such as Campello,Muchamiel,Pinoso,Benidorm and Altea increae IBI by 30,100,58,27 and 20 % respectively.

This is an easy way for councils to maintain their income but according to the provincial promoter’s association Provia ,it is not the most effective.He says that the councils have been steadily increasing this tax over a number of years but they have not increased services alongside the increases.

In 2008 town halls across the region took in 419 million euros ,a rise of 9.32 % over the 2007 income.He thinks that it is the ordinary resident,who can ill afford to fund the bad management of town halls.with their money.He wants town halls to cut back on their spending and save money ,rather than ask the poor residents once again to get them out of a hole.

The Education minister for the Valencia region has announced that schools are not going to be given any funding for their anti swine flu hygiene protocols.

Schools are already under funded and it has been calculated that in having to purchase special gels and soaps they could utilise nearly 20% of their budgets.

The minister had said earlier that these products would be distributed to the schools .However this hasn’t happened and all that schools have been given is instructions and they have to download those from the internet.

Schools are understandably seeing this as a total turnabout by the education department and have been told that they must purchase things which follow all of the specifications laid out in the instructions.Schools across the region are far from happy about the prospect of spending their budgets on this type of project.

Each school expected their supplies by the beginning of the new school year  and then almost three weeks into the term they are told that they have to purchase these items themselves.That could take at least another three weeks and by that time it will be well into the flu season.Headteachers say that they will do their best to protect children in their schools and using basic good hygiene ,without special gels will go a long way to keeping the whole population safe.