Longer contracts for safer roads in Malaga Province

MALAGA Provincial Council has announced that it will be putting contracts for provincial road safety activities and maintenance work out to tender to cover a four-year period.

The longer contracts, approved at the latest Provincial Council plenary session, have a combined budget of €11.2 million and will allow for better services and improved conditions, deputy head Francisco Salado explained.

The contract to provide services from now until 2019 will be tendered for a total of €5.6 million and must include 24-hour emergency cover. Other required services include keeping roadsides weeded and clear of rubbish, mending potholes, replacing and repainting vertical and horizontal road signs and safety barriers. The second contract, specifically for road safety, will also be tendered for €5.6 million and includes reinforcing or adapting road signs and installing safety equipment with particular emphasis placed on crash barriers which are safer for bikers.

Salado explained that in 2015, 56 per cent of funds available were spent on crash barriers with 41 per cent specially adapted for motorcyclists. The provincial council had promised that at least 30 per cent of new barriers installed were biker-friendly.