Shopkeepers after the removal of the benches in Corso Vittorio Veneto
by Giovanna Tamponi
The opinion of traders after the removal of the signs is not uniform benches made of wood and metal Corso Vittorio Veneto. The intervention took place near the level crossing corner via Mameli. The sidewalk is clean, they are no longer there drunk to stand on the benches and people are no longer afraid of walking along that pedestrian stretch. But for some those oases outsideshadow they were precious.
All this is due to the initiative of some Merchants having their business in the “little square” in front of the benches. They had collected several signatures to ask the Olbia administration for intervention aimed at putting an end to the serious situation of degradation that had been created in that area. The reason was to prevent the parking of people who, with their attitudes, annoyed passers-by, making the entire sidewalk dangerous and not at all decent.
The reasons for the petition
The six benches, particularly popular and popular thanks to their position which remains shaded during the hottest hours of the day, far from the purpose for which they were intended, had become the stable place of stay for drunken people, idlers and idiots. They even used them to soothe the after-effects of getting drunk. But, even worse, it seems that those six benches were known to the people of the area for having become over the years the fixed meeting point of the local pushers who manage drug dealing.
That portion of the road had become unsafe, so much so that the police often carried out patrols to try to contain the anti-social behavior in which the frequenters resulted. These, after having purchased alcoholic drinks in the nearby shops and bars, occupied the seats on the benches to remain and bivouack for the whole day, preventing travelers using the bus stop, elderly people and anyone who needed them from using the benches. .
Residents’ opinions
“We are really satisfied with how things are going. Before we witnessed absurd scenes, no one could use those benches, they were always occupied. Furthermore, everything around was always full of waste, cans and bottles, in short, a painful and unseemly sight for the city.”
However, not everyone agrees with this drastic decision. ‘Eliminating the benches to solve the problems of drug dealing and public order is not the solution, because these choices create discomfort for citizens who really needed the benches’ claims a resident.
A trader claims that removing the benches was the easiest choice for the administration, even if overall it was acceptable. The problem is that with the arrival of the great summer heat, the only place to sit in the shade left is the bench on the shelter at the bus stop, which only two or three people can use at a time. It is hoped that the municipal administration will take the problem to heart and create an alternative solution to protect travelers who have to wait in that area for transport to the beaches and other locations from the heat.
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