Benidorm organizes the Mobility Week in favor of pedestrians and the Environment

Benidorm joins one more year to the European Mobility Week, a European initiative of 1999 that since 2000 is held invariably from September 16 to 22 with the aim of sensitizing citizens and public managers about the irrational use of vehicles with combustion engine in cities, with detrimental effects on public health and the environment, as well as to support more sustainable modes of transport and walking.

The Councilor for Mobility, José Ramón González de Zárate has highlighted this morning at a press conference the program of activities to be developed by his department and which has the integration of other municipal departments under the premise, in this 2020 edition of “finding solutions to the increase in road traffic in cities ”.

In the presentation of the European Mobility Week, the councilor highlighted "the atypical of this year" and the need to influence key issues such as "mobility, public transport, bike lanes and pedestrian issues."

De Zárate invited the population "this week and all of them to walk more, use the streets and public transport and lead a healthier life."

Benidorm "is a benchmark in mobility" and for the councilor "what is being demonstrated in mobility is that when this government team and technical team emphasize these issues, we have been right".

In the programming of actions for the Week, 7 lines of action have been taken into account and the activities have been programmed on them. This will affect concepts such as low-emission zones, urban transport, electric vehicles, green areas, pedestrian routes, pedestrian areas in school areas and the traditional Car-Free Day (Tuesday, September 22).

The first action, tomorrow Wednesday the 16th, is focused on "low emission zones". The activities start at 9 in the morning along two important pedestrian routes "as an enhancement of the routes to La Cruz and Tossal and the actions that are going to take place on both routes." At noon, within the meetings to seek consensus on mobility De Zárete confirmed a meeting "with APTUR regarding the low emission zones in the Old Town" and the question of access.

On Thursday, Benidorm will participate in the Technical Conference on Urban Transport, which will be attended by the mayor Toni Pérez, with his regional homonyms, and the councilors of Mobility and Environment, González de Zárate and Mónica Gómez. On that day, the councilor announced, the Mobility awards of the Valencia Community will be awarded, “where Benidorm participates with important projects.

Friday's session focuses on electric vehicles and new recharging points with the "presentation on Avenida de Villajoyosa of an exhibition of the range of electric vehicles available in the market and those of the concessionaires and municipal services" and the new point fast electric recharge. The “single platform with pedestrian priority” that Garita Street will become will be the focus of the meeting that has been scheduled at noon on Friday with residents of the neighboring streets between Ramos Carratalá and Almendros.

On the weekend, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 will revolve around green areas and walks with the presentation of the new greenways in the Partida del Moralet and the planned actions, as well as to discover the importance of shady areas in the new management of the Avenida del Mediterráneo "with a drop in temperatures of 4 to 5 degrees." De Zárate explained that "the shadow that used to be given to vehicles is now given, without the second line of trees having yet grown, to pedestrians who circulate through it," insisting on the importance of this plant reality.

On Monday the 21st the focus is on the actions carried out by creating pedestrian areas around the Benidorm schools that allow, the councilor pointed out, "that Benidorm schoolchildren can go from their home to their school on a pedestrian basis without problems." Also on this day "there will be an informative control of awareness about the pedestrian priority around Elche Park, in charge of the Local Police, to raise awareness about this need to always respect pedestrians."

On Tuesday 22 the European Mobility Week closes with the Car Free Day activities. Based on this celebration, between 10 am and 10 pm the Avenida de la Armada Española will be excluded from car traffic, "there are alternative routes." Also on that day the protagonism will be the bicycles and the cycling clubs of Benidorm and individuals who will be able to join the route that will take place along the bike lanes and cycle paths from kilometer Zero of Parque de la Séquia Mare.

The culmination of the week will come with the celebration of a Mobility, Universal Accessibility and Sustainable Energy Council, at 12 noon on Tuesday, “with the presentation of the initiatives that the City Council has planned for the city of Benidorm”.

De Zárate took advantage of the appointment of the European Mobility Week to "invite citizens to put into use and enjoy the pedestrian and green areas" and participate "maintaining the security measures" that determines the incidence of the pandemic in "a city comfortable, friendly and with a good temperature to enjoy activities and a tour around Benidorm ”.