Neighbors report lack of lighting in various parts of the Riviera development, in Mijas

Residents of the Riviera de Mijas urbanization have reported a lack of lighting in various parts of the residential area, mainly in the northern part, which creates "insecurity" and problems in driving or walking pets due to the presence of wild boars in the area. They have requested the local Town Hall to replace or restore the public lighting, according to consulted residents. The Town Hall, on its part, assures that it is working to solve a "breakdown" on Orfebres street and that it has resolved incidents on other roads.

The president of a homeowners' association on Ingenieros street, who preferred to remain anonymous, lamented that there has not been "permanent light service in four years," emphasizing that on this road there are "two sections with 4 double lampposts" in which he ensures that of eight points, only two work this Friday evening, each one in the direction to the right or left of the road.

This causes the residents "certain insecurity" when it comes to animals or criminals accessing the area or for driving, for example, since he assured that there are wild boars in the area whose presence has been recently signaled. "They have dark fur, and if you don't have light, you could run into a problem," he said regarding the possibility of colliding with an animal due to "low visibility in an area that is supposed to be urban."

He highlighted that in the upper area of the Riviera urbanization there are "many points without light," such as Escultores, Músicos, Esmeralda, Orfebres, or Ingenieros streets, the latter being the main one, hence he asks the Town Hall to "replace what is there." At the same time, he lamented that "in the part that is mountainous there is light and in the urbanized area many lights are missing."

Among other incidents, he pointed to the accumulation of waste in the containers on his street, where residents from other roads also deposit their trash, stating that "the collection service does not come every day" and "you realize it has passed when the pile of accumulated garbage is gone." Additionally, he criticized that these bins are "on the road," which makes access difficult for the community of homeowners, so he requests to adapt one with a "temporary roundabout" or create it from the "median."

Complaints on the Gecor App

Jorge Torrejón is another resident of Ingenieros avenue who has reported that the road "has been without light for two years," as well as adjacent streets such as Escultores, Arquitectos, or Orfebres, stating that he has launched "between 40 and 50 complaints" about incidents through the Gecor app since February 2024, lamenting that "most of the time they do not respond." "They charge taxes, licenses for first occupation and construction but something as simple as public lighting does not work," he criticized.

Thus, he referred to daily problems faced by neighbors due to the lack of lighting, mainly at night: "You go out with the dog for a walk and feel insecure, there are very strange people around here, it's scary," in addition to the presence of "wild boars that come down to look for food in the trash and you don't see them" due to the lack of light, noting that he goes down to the street with the "mobile phone flashlight." Torrejón also highlighted that on the road there is a school bus stop, where "a bunch of kids are picked up at 07:30 AM, it's dark, and they cross in the dark."

He also added other problems related to the deposit of waste, since Ingenieros street is "a passage point for people coming from other urbanizations, they open the car window and throw trash here." In line with this, he criticized that the road "is in the afternoon a clean point, a dump." Therefore, he requests that "the lighting works, that the trash is more collected, and that people be fined."

Andrea Sirak is another neighbor from Ingenieros avenue who criticized that "there is no light" in the area for "a long time," ensuring that this causes "security" problems and that it particularly affects her because she has "animals." "At night I have to go out with the dogs and I have encountered wild boars next to me," the young woman pointed out, which generates "fear." Thus, she requests the Town Hall of the locality to "turn on the lights," since on the road "people and cars pass," criticizing that "there are lights on a street further up that is right in the mountain."

Another neighbor from Ingenieros street, who preferred to remain anonymous, pointed out that "there is light but it is dim," emphasizing that "at night you can't see anything." "On this street there are lampposts and one turns on yes and another no, they are orange and it's not that we are totally in the dark but they also don't illuminate much," she pointed out. Additionally, she added that going down towards La Cala de Mijas on Orfebres street "there are roundabouts that are not visible" and "there is no light," except for "some but it does not turn on," so she asks the Town Hall "if possible, a minimum of lighting." The resident criticized that "they are building everywhere and not putting the infrastructure that is required."

Eva is another neighbor from Orfebres street who has denounced that "all the lampposts are off, there is no light." "We go out here at night with the dogs in fear, with flashlights, neighbors together so as not to go out alone because it is completely dark," she referred regarding the road where she lives or the adjacent Ingenieros, ensuring that the neighbors have been living this issue for "more than a year and a half."

This situation of lack of public lighting affects the daily lives of the neighbors, also generating "insecurity": "You are afraid when going out to the street alone if you take the dog out, if you arrive late after dinner or a party, because this is super dark and in Riviera lives a bit of everything," she referred to the residents. Therefore, she asks the Town Hall to "turn on the lighting because we pay the taxes." "I pay a series of taxes here that I do not see reflected anywhere, and as a citizen, I do not feel either comfortable or safe," she lamented.

The Town Hall works to solve a "breakdown" on Orfebres street

On its part, the Town Hall highlighted that on Orfebres street, which is completely off, "there is a phase down due to a breakdown" from Pintores to the end of the road, ensuring that "work is being done to fix it."

On the other hand, it pointed out that in the section from Ingenieros avenue to Pintores street "there was a defective differential but it has already been restored," as well as pointed out that "there is one of the sidewalks that is pending connection due to the work that remodeled it."

It also pointed out that in phase 9 there was a "breakdown" of the "timers," affecting Pintores and Escultores streets, based on the fact that "the times of turning on and off were not appropriate," although neighbors have pointed out that the second "is lit in part." According to what the Town Hall detailed, the incident was "fixed" last December 21, although service workers will attend to check the state of the lighting.

Regarding the presence of wild boars in the area, the Town Hall stated that it "complies with the law" and collaborates with the Junta de Andalucía in "the control of this plague," lamenting that "it has been left uncontrolled for so long that the number of specimens is very high."

It recalled that the Andalusian administration has declared a "temporary hunting emergency throughout the community to control the overpopulation," due to "agricultural damages, health risks (African swine fever) and environmental and road problems, allowing broader control measures outside hunting grounds and extending until May 2026, with the collaboration of hunters to reduce the population, according to resolutions published in the BOJA."

Mijas