The plenary approves the Global Road Safety Plan to reduce the accident rate in Benidorm

The plenary of Benidorm has approved by majority the Global Road Safety Plan, a document aimed at "reducing the accident rate in the city and in which the twelve actions to be developed to achieve this goal are reflected". The councilman of Mobility, José Ramón González de Zárate, has indicated that "Benidorm is one of the few municipalities that has already reached this stage of processing the Global Road Safety Plan, which must be available to all municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in a maximum term of three years ".

For the preparation of this document, presented last December in the Mobility Advisory Council, has been diagnosed what are the problems that exist in Benidorm related to road accidents and its causes. To do this, "all the traffic accidents registered in the city in the last two years have been studied", and "the mobility indicators and road safety actions adopted so far have been compiled".

De Zárate explained that the first of the actions is the elaboration of a Road Improvement Plan with the highest accident rate, in which the necessary actions are set to reduce those rates; and he added that corrective measures have already been taken at the point, such as Avenida Alfonso Puchades, which has managed to "pacify traffic". In addition, the Plan foresees the improvement of the urban design in the intersections with risk of accident that are already identified; Regularly review the condition of the roadway and signage throughout the city; implement technological elements for compliance with traffic regulations such as control cameras or radars; and adapt all trafficked pedestrian steps for people with reduced mobility.

Other measures are the effective implementation of the Universal Accessibility Plan; extend road safety education to the educational community and the elderly community; create a body responsible for road safety at the City Council and an updated database containing all information on accident rate; write an Annual Road Safety Plan, updated year after year based on the needs and problems; and create a bag of hours for the Local Police to attend specific road safety priorities.

On the other hand, by majority, the urban development agreement between the City Council and the developer of the Partial Plan 2/1 Poniente for the development of this sector, which will complete the union of the Spanish Armada and Vicente Pérez Devesa avenues, has been definitively approved. The Councilor for Urban Development, Lourdes Caselles, explained that the agreement, initially approved last December, "no allegations have been made during the period of public exposure."

Caselles recalled that the developer made "a voluntary offer" that translates into 2.7 million euros "destined to municipal land assets and, therefore, to works of social interest." The "priority actions" to be carried out by the developer with this amount are "a public car park of 10,000 square meters with capacity for 453 vehicles; a roundabout on Avenida Villajoyosa at the height of the Red Cross post, which will link through a new road with Vicente Pérez Devesa Avenue; the channeling of the ravine that crosses the plan; and the connection of this sector with the adjoining urban areas ". In addition, as "not priority" are "the rehabilitation of the seafront in the section that may be affected by the work; and the construction of a lookout and an elevator-landscape that connects Armada Española Avenue with the highest part of the parking lot ".

The 61.50% of the 131,000 square meters that make up the Partial Plan 2/1 Poniente will be converted into car parks, roads, green areas and public facilities. The sector also has 19,024 square meters for green areas; and 24,928 for public facilities.

Once the plenary procedure has been completed and the agreement has been signed, the development agent - the sole owner of the sector - will present the land subdivision and urbanization project.

Unanimously the corporation has approved the Municipal Plan of Inclusion and Social Cohesion and the constitution of the Municipal Council of Inclusion and Social Rights; as well as the regulation that governs the organization and functioning of this body, which has prospered by a large majority.

The Councilor for Social Welfare, Angela Llorca, explained that the objective of this Plan is "to optimize the quality of life of people, end social exclusion and improve people's access to all the resources that society provides" . For this, the Plan "includes actions that are already being done, improving their development or dedicating more resources", and "other new measures that will favor the lives of people". The proposal has been approved with a compromise amendment of the own mayor.

Likewise, the plenary session has given the green light to the update of the Municipal Plan against Emergencies. The Councilor for Citizen Security, Lorenzo Martínez, recalled that this plan is "a living document" that can be adapted to "new casuistry and the emergence of new technologies." Martínez pointed out that this update comes after the "diagnosis of urban resilience" made by the City Council together with Dinapsis Operation & Lab, which "has evaluated the municipal services, detecting the critical structures and the main vulnerabilities" in emergency situations.

Based on this diagnosis, the Plan has been updated to "obtain the maximum protection for people, the environment and assets, which may be affected in any emergency situation," organizing "the means and resources, both public and private in the municipality, which allows to face situations of risk or serious emergency ".

Unanimously, the corporation has approved the accession of Benidorm to the Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy (PACE) of the European Commission. The Councilor for the Environment, José Ramón González de Zárate, pointed out that Benidorm is already "complying with more than 20% of the parameters set by the European Union" in this matter, although the objectives are "to achieve by 2030 a reduction of 40% of CO2 emissions; increase the resilience of the city in the face of climate change; increase cooperation between administrations; or offer citizens a high quality of life ". To achieve these objectives, with the adherence to this Pact, "we commit ourselves to adopt a series of measures" to be developed "in stages".

With the vote of all the councilors, the plenary has expressed "the will" of the City Council "to adhere to the 'Collaboration Agreement with the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (REDS)' to generate communication synergies on the approved sustainable development goals by the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 25, 2015.

Unanimously, the collaboration agreement between the City Council and the Ecoembes entity has been approved to increase the 3,000-liter top-loading containers installed in the city by 15 for the collection of light containers. De Zárate has reported that "since 1995" in Benidorm "almost 6,000 tons have been recovered" from this type of waste.

By majority, an extrajudicial credit recognition in the amount of 261,352.32 euros has prospered, mainly referring to invoices corresponding to the expenses of lawyers and solicitors for legal and firm procedures, as well as contributions to communities of owners.

The plenary has also approved the Interior Reform Plan (PRI) of the Hotel Presidente, on Avenida Filipinas, Lepanto and Almería. In addition, it will make a complementary contribution of 302,574 euros.

In the same session, the ruling 81/2019 of the Contentious Administrative Chamber of the National Court regarding Costs and the legal report issued in this regard was also reported.

Withdrawn motion and proposal on the table

With the vote of the majority of the opposition, the plenary session has removed from the agenda the extension of the contract for the management, maintenance, maintenance of public lighting and traffic regulation facilities and integration of technologically advanced municipal services until June 2019. of the vote, the councilman of Urban Scene, José Ramón González de Zárate, explained that the change of the Public Sector Contracts Law requires that "the current contract be divided into two: on the one hand the management of the traffic light network and the mobility control center; and on the other, energy saving and public lighting ".

This change, he added, has led technicians to have to rethink different contractual terms at the time of writing the specifications, such as, for example, the rules and the definition of compensations to be made in each of these contracts in order to continue advancing in the "energy saving" policies. An energy saving that has allowed the City Council to reduce consumption by "more than 400,000 euros from 2015 to 2019".

De Zárate has ensured that "the specifications are already being drafted", and that it is estimated that they could be raised to full "in March or April", for the award of both contracts for summer.

On the other hand, the proposal of Compromís-Los Verdes to increase the social expenditure of Benidorm City Council has remained on the table awaiting reports.