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José Rodríguez Cámara
Torremolinos
Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 13:39
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Torremolinos town Hall has given the green light to the first step in the implementation of the new blue parking zone in the Costa del Sol municipality. The approved document is the economic report which supports this measure and serves as the basis for the subsequent regulation. In figures, the changes to parking that are being implemented in the town mean that 4,627 parking spaces will be regulated in 74 streets. These streets are divided into three distinct areas: the centre, Montemar Bajo and La Carihuela, and the axis of El Bajondillo, Playamar and Los Álamos.
The idea is to establish a timetable for these limitations in the town centre Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm; and on Saturdays, from 9am to 2pm. Meanwhile, on the coast, this will be in force from 1 October to 31 May, since, as the council pointed out, there is a special timetable for the promenade area between 1 June and 30 September, as well as during Easter week, when parking will be charged from Monday to Sunday from 10am until 11pm. This formula, which responds to the greater "saturation" of this part of the town centre due to the influx of tourists, is similar to municipalities close to Torremolinos, such as neighbouring Benalmádena, for example.
Regarding the fees, which are also inspired by those applied by other councils, as clearly stated in the explanatory memorandum for this blue zone proposal, they are set at one euro per hour for short-term parking, with the possibility of paying for smaller time fractions. The same rate applies, but on a weekly basis, for residents. For the latter, a green zone has been established, which includes an annual fee of 50 euros. The council explained that each household will be able to issue as many permits for the green-marked areas as there are driving licences in the home. "The aim of this proposal, unlike previous ones, is not for revenue generation, but to ensure parking turnover in commercial and tourist areas," traffic councillor Sandra Jaime said.
The councillor emphasised that it is necessary "to rationalise parking spaces, given the tourist nature of the areas in which action is to be taken" and, therefore, she pointed out, "the residential areas of Torremolinos are excluded from this proposal".
Once the green and blue zones are in force, changes will take place on busy roads such as Isabel Manoja, Palma de Mallorca, Manantiales, the area around th conference centre, María Barrabino, Casablanca and Danza Invisible, some of which are also included in the ZBE low emission zone, which is still waiting to come into force. The same will happen in Montemar Bajo and La Carihuela, since, in the annex of streets of the parking regulation plan, the following streets are included: Calles Jaén, Chile, Nerja, Salvador Allende, Miami, Pez Espada, Plaza del Remo and Pasaje Ciudad de Porcuna; while in the area formed by El Bajondillo, Playamar and Los Álamos, avenues such as Benyamina, La Playa and La Riviera are included. The maximum parking time foreseen is 150 minutes in the centre and 480 minutes in the rest.
The estimated revenue from this system is around 3.3 million, after deducting the projected personnel costs of 900,000 euros from the expected income of 4.2 million. The appropriate staffing for this service is about 23 controllers, and the recommended management model, based on internal technical reports, is to grant a concession to an operator. This decision was made after ruling out other models, such as direct management of this network with municipal workers or a company owned by the local government, due to the higher risks they pose to the municipal budget. The contractor that takes on the task of managing the blue zone would have to pay a fee to the council.
The socialists are asking that the possibility of “privatising” the blue zone fees be ruled out, and are arguing that it should be the council itself which manages it directly, as advocated by the secretary general of the PSOE, Antonio Ruiz. "Once again, the only objective of the PP is to continue privatising services, when the collection of the blue zone fees can be done by the council's own staff," Ruiz said.
For her part, the party's spokesperson, Maribel Tocón, said: "Residents will have to pay 50 euros a year to be able to park in these designated areas. Along these lines, they have warned that only 40 per cent of the controlled parking areas will be shared with residential use. That is why the socialist party is asking the PP to rectify and rethink the blue zone rates, so that residents can have a special rate, regardless of where we park, and also to implement a high and low season for parking."
As for the jobs generated, Tocón declared that "they should be for local people, because that is the only way that this measure will benefit the people of Torremolinos".
The plenary session also approved, according to the PP, with the PSOE voting against, a budget amendment that will allow 31,000 euros to be allocated to businesses affected by the urban regeneration of the area around La Nogalera; an amount that comes from the surplus of aid to citizens. A modification of an ordinance has also been approved which will speed up the granting of subsidies for sports, culture and equality, in order, among other things, to help local sportspeople and clubs who need support in their sporting careers.
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