García Romero, during her visit this Friday to the surroundings of the CEIP Menéndez Pelayo, in Arganzuela
The delegate of Works and Equipment, Paloma García Romero, accompanied by the councilor of Arganzuela, Lola Navarro, visited the surroundings of the Menéndez Pelayo School this morning, whose remodeling works have just been completed. With an investment of 957,000 euros, the intervention has covered an area of 4,768 m2. The project has mainly focused on the streets Murcia and Rafael de Riego to transform this environment into a safer, more sustainable, and accessible space that promotes interaction and improves environmental quality.
The works included the pedestrianization of Calle Murcia between Calle Rafael de Riego and Méndez Álvaro to function as an extension of the schoolyard. In this sense, the street has been provided with a central promenade with two large alignments of flower beds interspersed with recreational spaces and play areas. Likewise, a continuous and accessible route along the residential facade has been maintained, allowing direct access to existing premises and entrances. The arrangement of the elements leaves a central space free of obstructions for vehicle access in case of emergency.
In Calle Rafael de Riego, with the aim of reducing the number and speed of vehicles, the width of the existing lane has been reduced and the linear layout of the road has been modified, maintaining parking lanes. Along the existing tree-lined alignment, a naturalized band with large tree pits has been created, including new plantations and urban furniture on draining pavement. In addition to the renovation of pavements, the project has included the installation of new urban furniture consisting of benches, an accessible granite fountain, and bicycle racks.
Likewise, in Calle Murcia, a trampoline, rubber semispheres, springs, and a seesaw have been installed. Furthermore, a pilot initiative has been implemented consisting of the pre-installation of three water nebulizers to cope with extreme temperature episodes, which will be set up when the heat starts and dismantled when summer ends. In terms of vegetation, eight new trees and approximately 6,100 plants have been planted.
The improvement of this environment has allowed for an increase in recreational space to alter the existing urban hierarchy, as before the intervention, 48% of the area was dedicated to pedestrians and 52% to vehicles, while now the pedestrian area is 75% and the area for vehicles is 25%.
The project has had the collaboration of the General Directorates of Sustainability and Environmental Control and of Planning and Mobility Infrastructures, both dependent on the Area of Urbanism, Environment, and Mobility, who developed the action proposal which, once defined, was projected and executed by the General Directorate of Public Road Conservation of the Works and Equipment Area.
Educational Centers Access Improvement Program
This action is part of the program to improve access to educational centers that Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida launched in 2020 with the aim of achieving a safe entrance to schools and kindergartens through actions that facilitate accessibility and improve the road safety of the environment, as well as its environmental quality. Since then, the City Council has improved 348 school environments in the capital.
The program to improve access to educational centers aims to achieve a safe entrance for students and companions through actions that facilitate accessibility and improve road safety in the environment, as well as its environmental quality. The works consist of renovating and adapting sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, reorganizing access and intersections, and removing architectural barriers. In this way, the comfort and safety of citizens are improved, spaces are adapted to current accessibility regulations, and the functionality of public roads in terms of mobility and road safety is improved.
These are school environments that are studied on a case-by-case basis, as each of them presents very different characteristics that require a combination of the dimensions of the available spaces and the mobility of the area, resulting in solutions of greater or lesser importance depending on the cases. Likewise, to identify the needs for action, there is a continuous dialogue with the districts, which are in constant contact with the school authorities and with the parents’ associations (AMPA).
