Toni Pérez guarantees the continuity of BeniMov Forum in 2020

At the closing of BeniMov Forum, the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, congratulated Aico for the initiative, Chance & Choices for the development, the sponsors for their efforts and the speakers, for their level.

The weather, he acknowledged, has been the protagonist of this edition that, during this Sunday, is developing its latest exhibitions in a Fair held at Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España.

After attending the work tables on Saturday, Toni Pérez bet "because this forum is consolidated and that in its second edition receive them with the best sun, the main incentive of Benidorm."

The mayor of Benidorm insisted on the five work axes that have led us to be the first certified DTI in the world and pointed out that, based on actions of innovation, technology, accessibility, sustainability and governance, the idea of ​​the city can be reconfigured and made more nice.

Initiatives such as the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), he explained, follow these lines of work “with a technical vocation and political certainty” because “only from sustainability in mobility will we be able to make this urban space that lives from offering happiness more and more kind, that is to be more accessible ”.

In his words before the Forum, Toni Pérez insisted that "technology and innovation allow us better governance and being a better city." And thus stressed that for local administrations mobility is a key factor to solve. The citizen wants, he said, "to walk safely with pedestrians, to arrive quickly, to always park nearby, a great public transport and better connectivity and efficient regulation" and to reconcile all these issues is the most complicated because some collide with others.

But to reconcile all these fronts, Toni Pérez insisted, it is necessary “a clear political conviction, a responsible technical support and an involved citizenship”.

Before the speakers and assistant public, the mayor of Benidorm opted to “manage traffic in a planned way, pacify mobility, be very clear, and this City Council has it,” he insisted, “that the priority is the pedestrian,” granting levels after other sustainable mobility options until you reach the last place with the private vehicle. In that regard, he said: "when industry, innovation and technology implement a kinder private vehicle, the culture change that is now costing us a lot to do, will come to us."

He opted to plan the city in response to the proposals emanating from forums such as BeniMov, "which aim to raise awareness, raise awareness," highlighting that the main issue is "planning the city for something that was not planned."

And that sense indicated that "if we want to continue being a city that offers happiness, we have to know that we are all pedestrians and that the uses and abuses lead us to a worse planet."

Toni Pérez concluded “guaranteeing that the forum will have continuity because it is the central and priority axis in the most current present in this city”.

Previously, the vice president of the European Investment Bank, Emma Navarro, was awarded the Europa Prize in Benidorm in its latest edition, who pointed out the policies of support of her department for sustainable mobility, “key asset of the moment we live and the future we design” .

Navarro highlighted the European project linked to growth and economic cohesion, transport and mobility, with an epicenter in the city. "The future of the planet, he said, depends on the management of urban development" and encouraged to attend the proposals of forums such as BeniMov.

Previously, the main lines of the commitment to the Intelligent Tourist Destination by the General Director of Tourism of the Generalitat, Herick Campos, and the particularities of the First Certified Intelligent Tourist Destination of the World, Benidorm, by the director of Visit Benidorm, Leire Bilbao.

After them the Professor of Urban Planning of the University of Alicante intervened who praised the courage of Benidorm to undertake forums like this and make them a reality. He pointed out the importance of sustainable mobility and warned of the consequences on the liberalization of the highway toll - “only one third of users are sporadic” -, betting on a soft toll, depending on residence, number of journeys and type of vehicle and propulsion system that would give priority to the premises and obtain funds to continue with the maintenance of the road and undertake draft infrastructure that would materialize the long-awaited train of the coast.