Every summer Santa Pola turns the streets round the Glorieta and the fortress over to people on foot. In recent years the town hall has closed several stretches of the centre to traffic from six in the evening to six in the morning, Monday to Saturday, and all day on Sundays and holidays, from the start of summer until mid-September. In the 2021 scheme, for example, the cuts were on stretches of Calle María López, Dean Llopez, Almirante Antequera, Cervantes and Calle del Muelle.
For an evening on the terraces, it is a pleasure. For someone locked out of a flat in one of those streets at eleven at night, it changes a few practical things.
The van stops at the edge
Traffic is kept out during the closure, and that includes a locksmith’s van. The van parks at the nearest open street and the locksmith walks the rest with the tools. In the compact centre that is a few minutes, not a hike, but it helps to know.
Three details to give when you ring
- The street and number, as usual.
- The nearest corner or landmark: the Glorieta, the fortress, the market, a church, a well-known bar. That tells the locksmith which way to walk in.
- The floor and door, and whether the communal street door of the block is open. Many flats in the centre sit behind one, and if you are outside that too, a neighbour who can buzz the door open saves time.
Waiting somewhere sensible
On a summer night the centre is busy until late, which is a comfort. Wait somewhere you can be seen from the street, near the block entrance, with your phone charged. If your phone is inside with your keys, ask a neighbour or someone at a nearby bar to ring for you.
If it happens on a Sunday
The all-day Sunday closure means the same applies at noon as at midnight. Nothing else changes: the line is answered and the price is agreed with you at the door before any work begins.
And outside the summer
From mid-September to June, the centre is open to traffic again and the van can usually stop near the door. The rest of the advice still holds. If you are up on the cape instead, giving an address in Gran Alacant works differently.
Running a bar or shop inside the closed area? Planned lock work is easier in the morning, before the closure starts: see locks for business premises and what to check before reopening after the winter.