The Black Spot

A familiar theme - road accidents. The Council of Mallorca is apparently going to prioritise the elimination of accident blackspots on the island’s main roads. Quite how is not exactly clear, but the public works chaps are involved and there is a possibility that speed radars will be installed. What is interesting, from a map produced in Ultima Hora, is where the main concentrations of accident occur. The stretch from Sa Pobla alongside Albufera to the roundabout by the new industrial estate in Alcúdia is one of the worst. Not that far behind is the road between Muro and Can Picafort. (The highest concentration, not surprisingly, is on the roads immediately in and out of Palma).

I have mentioned my own blackspots before now, such as the road between Alcúdia and Puerto Pollensa, and I confess I had not considered either of the two above-mentioned as being that bad; not, that is, until the report made me think. One thing both these roads has in common is that there are sharp hairpins, neither is that wide for most of its length, neither has lighting. In the case of the road past Albufera, there is also a one-lane bridge and the height of the grass at the edge of Albufera which obscures vision. They are both roads, furthermore, where you do get drivers hacking along at tremendous speed.

We wait with interest for plans that are not, as yet, concrete.


Yesterday, I noted the discovery of Sara Cooper’s body. This information actually went onto the blog before, for instance, it was reported on BBC radio or on the BBC website. Not that I am claiming any sort of one-upmanship (especially not in what is a tragic case). What it does highlight is the speed with which news moves and can be spread; the internet being especially important. What it also highlights is how difficult it is for traditional printed media to keep up. This is brought home by the fact that today’s “Euro Weekly” (which, as the title suggests, is only a weekly) had only the story of her disappearance as front-page news. By the time of distribution, it was already yesterday’s news. In the face of 24-hour news coverage on the internet, television and radio, it is hard enough for the dailies to keep up, but for a weekly to follow a dynamically shifting news story ... not possible.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Yes, it was Lesley Gore (no relation as far as I know). Today’s title - ok, a different sort of question: which author came up with The Black Spot and in which novel?

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