The president of the Consell de Ibiza, Vicent Marí, together with the Councilor for Land Management and Road Infrastructure, Mariano Juan, and the Councilor for Transport, Javier Torres, yesterday presented to employers, political parties and social partners the draft of the legislative proposal promoted by the institution to regulate the entry of vehicles on the island, especially during the months of greater tourist influx. It is, as admitted during that meeting (held in the insular plenary hall) Francisco Buforn, head of the legal services of the Consell de Ibiza, “an adaptation” of Law 7/2019, of February 8th for the environmental and economic sustainability of Formentera.
As in the case of the law approved for the smallest of the Pitiusas, the aim of the Consell de Ibiza is to “implement limitations to access the island and establish a ceiling on the number of vehicles circulating during the summer period, in order to correct the problems arising from the congestion on the island in the busiest periods of the year”. However, neither this ceiling nor the specific dates on which the limitations (from June 15th to September 15th in the case of Formentera) to be established have not yet been set. “Once we have the updated data, the quotas will then be specified,” warns Marí, for whom “it is not yet the time for that debate.”
The objective from the Consell de Ibiza is to “implement limitations to access the island and establish a ceiling on the number of vehicles circulating during the summer period”
The island president estimates that the law could be approved in 2023 and, given its complexity, “come into operation in 2024”. His wish is that “it has the maximum consensus, which requires a period of reflection and participation”. After the summer the Consell de Ibiza will meet again with social and economic actors to “analyze the data on how the arrival of vehicles has evolved”. Vicent Marí wants to “begin to control” the flow of cars that “causes pressure on the territory” with a law that allows “the balance of the island to be maintained”. In his opinion, Ibiza “cannot be congested, saturated, collapsed by the indiscriminate entry” of cars and motorcycles. “We don’t want to make obstacles in coming to Ibiza, but we do want it to be done in an orderly way”.
The law could be approved in 2023 and, given its complexity, “come into operation in 2024”
600,000 people in 2036
Vicent Prats, head of the Department of Land Management, provides two alarming data in this regard. First, that Ibiza will reach 200,000 inhabitants in 2036, a year in which the peak population in midsummer will reach 600,000 individuals, including residents, seasonal workers and tourists. In addition, his department has calculated the increase of vehicles during the heat of summer: about 30,000, which represents an increase of 15% of the current number vehicles on the island. Hence “the perception of saturation”. They have studied areas such as the surroundings of sa Blanca Dona, where traffic doubles in summer.
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