BURGOS, Spain, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Police in Burgos, Spain, said they have arrested 40 people for violently protesting construction on a main road, saying money could be better spent elsewhere.
The 8,000 protesters have been demonstrating for five days, ThinkSpain reported. Physical fights have occurred and protesters have smashed bottles and set trash cans on fire.
The demonstrators oppose spending more than $10 million on the C/Vitoria road in the Gamonal neighborhood and have argued the money should be spent on public services.
The city plans to reduce the four lanes of the roadway and build cycling lanes, which will eliminate 300 needed parking spaces, ThinkSpain reported.
The work will take 14 months, and protesters are also opposed to the noise, dust and traffic the construction will bring.
The organizers of the protests said the demonstrations are less violent that the city's political decisions.
"Those who set fire to wheelie-bins, throw stones and create tension in the streets are no more violent than those who freeze the already-too-low minimum wage, allow banks to repossess thousands of families and scrap social aid and welfare," a spokesperson for the Burgos residents' association said.
Mayor Javier Lacalle has ordered workers to suspend construction while the council discusses the best way forward, ThinkSpain said.
