Benidorm plans walking tours, activities for children and young people, and free transfers for European Mobility Week

The city of Benidorm will once again participate in European Mobility Week, which takes place annually between September 16 and 22. More than 3,000 cities and towns across Europe collaborate to promote the use of public transport and other more sustainable forms of mobility. This Monday, the Councillor for Mobility, Francis Muñoz, presented all the activities that the Benidorm City Council has organised for this celebration. "These activities revolve around the theme chosen by the European Commission for this year's campaign, 'Mobility for All,' and are aimed at audiences of all ages."

Muñoz explained that European Mobility Week kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday, with a pedestrian route organised in conjunction with the National Organisation for the Blind of Spain (ONCE). This route will depart from Plaza de la Hispanidad and will follow "one of the busiest pedestrian routes in the city." This route will use "tactile paving, the routes used daily by blind people who travel in this area, and will end on Ruzafa Street, where the first push-button traffic light will be implemented so that it can be used by all people with vision problems who need it," a system "agreed upon with ONCE and which will be tested in this area."

On Wednesday, the 17th, the day will be dedicated to children and will take place on Italia Street. There, on the athletics lane painted on the road, activities and games will be held with schoolchildren from the Els Tolls and Puig Campana public schools. In addition, "we will have a stand to show students all the signs they may encounter on their school routes, so that they know them, can identify them, and can interact with them," explained the councillor.

On Thursday the 18th, an activity on the safe use of electric scooters will be held at the Children's Traffic Park, aimed at secondary school, high school, and vocational training students, in collaboration with the Local Police. "The goal is to reach a population group such as teenagers, who may be new to using these vehicles, to provide them with information on the safe use of scooters, including information on the Municipal Ordinance, such as the obligation to wear a helmet, have liability insurance, permitted speeds, how to ride, etc.," he noted.

That same afternoon, bouncy castles and children's games will be set up on Ametlla del Mar Avenue between 5 and 8 p.m., so that "the little ones have their own space, can occupy the public road for a day, and have fun in spaces that should also be open to pedestrians."

On Friday, September 19th, Urban Transport Day will be celebrated. In collaboration with the bus concessionaire, Avanza, an agreement has been reached to make transfers free for urban bus users. The councillor also announced plans to introduce a new bus line, number 26, which will use a minibus to cover the route around Avenida de Venezuela, the Foietes health and speciality centre, and its surrounding areas.

On Saturday, Plaza de Sant Joan de España will host a charity bicycle market between 5 and 6 pm, where citizens can bring bicycles they no longer use from their homes so they can be donated to an NGO that will give them a second life among people in need. The following day, on Sunday, September 21st, the charity race "On the Front Line" will take place starting at 9 a.m., organised by the Benidorm Local Police Cultural Association in collaboration with Aspanion, and also with the support of Benidorm City Council.

Finally, on Monday, the 22nd, Car-Free Day will be celebrated. Traffic will be further restricted on Paseo de Poniente, on Avenida de la Armada Española, between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., with access limited to fords and public transport only. Likewise, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Calle del Alcalde José Such Ortega will also be closed to traffic, where bouncy castles and other children's games will be set up to celebrate Mobility Week.

To round off all these activities, the city councillor noted that the city will also be participating, starting tomorrow and continuing until the 22nd, in the "Walk for your city" challenge. This initiative counts the number of steps taken by residents of each city and is open to anyone interested in joining through the free mobile app "Walk15." At the end of the week, awards will be given to the places that have accumulated the most footsteps for this cause, promoting "not only more sustainable mobility, but also well-being and healthier lifestyles."

Councillor Francis Muñoz emphasised that "the entire program has been designed to promote and raise awareness among citizens about the possibility of living in public spaces more sustainably," as well as to "encourage safe school routes, promote active mobility for children and adults, and design and plan safer streets for pedestrians and better public transport services."

Therefore, he invited residents and visitors to "participate and enjoy all the activities and, above all, to implement them in their daily lives so that we can all make Benidorm a more sustainable city."