Letter: Spain puts us to shame

WHEN I was 17 I visited Spain from Hurn airport. I wrote in my diary that “this could be a beautiful country when they finish it”.

The roads were potholed, the town centres were run-down and the travel signs were old and dilapidated, oh and don't drink the water. The public transport was sporadic and uncoordinated.

This year, at 71, I returned to Spain and discovered that it wasn't only my age that was reversed. The roads are superb, the town centres are vibrant, clean, and user friendly, the travel signs are fresh and clear, the water is clean. National public transport is efficient, linking easily with road, rail and air. They appear to have “finished it”.

One of our party broke a crowned tooth, she walked into a chemist who looked incredulous and enquired why she didn't just go to the dentist 100 metres down the road. She did, £25 and 15 minutes later it was repaired.

City and town centres prioritise pedestrian access and safety; 20kph speed limits and numerous crossings make it a pleasure to walk around and no problem to drive around.

It is interesting that here, the complaints made about 20mph speed limits come from itinerant motorists, who exist in an area for a matter of minutes, and not residents who spend hours and days in the area.

When we on Sopley Parish Council changed the road layout to enhance the safety of our residents, 12 of the 13 objections came from neighbouring villagers who were in our village for seconds as they drive through.

Whilst many here hanker after a golden age that never was, the rest of Europe has moved on... and up. The allusion that we would be better out of the EU fed the illusion of a return to greatness and the delusion of global wealth just waiting for us to pluck.

The reality is far from this. We don't even have that which we had.

Philip Emmel
Sopley