El Cabanyal has a new layout, traffic calming system and a “green forest” that will benefit pedestrians, says Eugene Costello
The far end of Avenida Blasco Ibáñez and its connection with El Cabanyal now has a new appearance, says Levante. Valencia City Council has already opened the new roundabout, the cycle lane and the new gardens not without some controversy – whose epicentre is El Cabanyal station. This was previously in the centre of the Serrería but is now part of a large square overlooking El Cabanyal. All traffic will remain on the Blasco Ibáñez side, regulated by a new roundabout and with a new, generally greener configuration.
The project to connect El Cabanyal with Avenida Blasco Ibáñez was decreed by the last Council. It launched in July last year with a timeframe of eight and a half months. It had a budget of 5.3€ million. The plan was to create a ‘green forest’ connecting Blasco Ibáñez with El Cabanyal. It’s an idea based upon the extension of the avenue to the sea.
That was thanks to Rita Barberá‘s previous Popular Party government. Barberá was a figure of scandal that led to her resigning from the party. This was in order to hold on to her senatorial salary without scrutiny. Two days before her death she had testified before the Supreme Court on her indictment for money-laundering. The autopsy said she had perished from hepatic cirrhosis, a disease usually associated with chronic alcoholism.
Controversy over access to the neighbourhood
The plan, however, has not been without controversy. What the previous government called a ‘green forest’ was seen by the residents and the new municipal government team as a ‘green wall’ for the neighbourhood. This has forced the introduction of two channels of traffic access to the entire maritime area in the project.
Now that these hurdles have been overcome, the project has come to an end. Everything is practically open. A few weeks ago it opened to traffic in its entirety. Now the rest of the services have gradually opened, including the new cycle lane and the landscaped areas. This has given an entirely completely different configuration to this square.
New layout
Whereas before El Cabanyal station was in the centre of Calle Serrería, with heavy traffic on both sides, now traffic passes exclusively along the Blasco Ibáñez side. This means it bypasses the station. It features a large, newly created roundabout, which acts to calm the traffic.
And on the other side, on the El Cabanyal side, what used to be a large traffic lane is now a large park of which the El Cabanyal station forms part. This has given it a more pedestrian character and it overlooks the neighbourhood through a large green area.
In general, the area features green zones and recreational areas. And although the “greening” is still in its infancy, the plan is that in a few years’ time, it will be a large green forest that will transform the neighbourhood.