This noon, the Councilor for Citizen Security and Mobility, Javier Scotto, has presented the roadmap in six years from the City Council of Dénia on non-motorized mobility. This will be approved this afternoon during the ordinary plenary session in September.
The idea, with this new plan, is to promote travel both by bicycle and in other types of non-motorized vehicles, which, as Scotto points out, are good for the health, the environment, coexistence and the habitability of a city.
In this transversal project, in which different areas of the council have participated, as well as the Local Police, a multitude of analyzes have been carried out to understand the reality of Dianense mobility. A hopeless reality, which still prioritizes the car when it is not necessary.
Although it is true that most of the residents choose to go on foot through Dénia (based on data obtained in the last decade), 38% still bet on the car, and only 1% on the bicycle (and that the 80% of the population has a bicycle, according to the study). In fact, as confirmed by the strategy data, the majority of trips by car are "unjustified", as defined by the councilor himself. These are trips within the municipality of less than 10 minutes that are made with motor vehicles with, in addition, a low occupation inside.
This is what the new strategy tries to tackle with a series of actions to maintain data on mobility on foot, lower data on the use of motor vehicles, and increase data on the use of bicycles and personal mobility vehicles as much as possible.
Concrete measures
The Cyclist Mobility Strategy in Dénia 2021-2027 includes, as its main action, the creation and expansion in three phases of areas of speed moderation and incorporation of cyclists, the so-called 20/30 zones, starting with the most central part of the urban area, the one between the port and the avenues of Alicante and Patricio Ferrándiz and the Ronda de les Muralles.
It also includes the widening of sidewalks, the change of the parking system from battery to cordon in some streets and also the elimination of cycle lanes “which have proven to be dangerous, such as cycle lanes, or conflictive, such as those that share a sidewalk with pedestrians. ”.
Yes to bike lanes and less car use in the city, but we must have responsive bike lanes at intersections and roundabouts, rather than the bike path disappearing and the bicyclist leaving to face traffic. With more bikes and fewer cars, the air quality will improve, but this can be improved by planting more trees in the areas of the pavement where the trees have died or been removed. For example, the excellent improvement of the pavement past the Bosc de Denia until the roundabout until Llidl. During the improvement works, the areas of planted trees were expanded, but the missing tree was not replaced. Why? In addition, continuing along the Cami de Sant Joan towards the Colegio Sagrado Corazón Vedruna, there are many empty spaces where trees have been removed. Why?
Totally agree. I would also add access only by bicycle to beaches and coves, especially in summer when these areas are overcrowded because Denia has at least four times the population at a time, the air quality would improve enormously and the noise pollution from the running engines would also disappear. The disappearance of the trees is a pity, many are cut down to be able to build more exclusively tourist accommodation, an environmental disaster.
I always use the bike to move around Denia and I miss more parking lots and in more areas even if they are not central (those that exist are always saturated and many of "motorcycles") and safe bike lanes and without vegetation (as an example see the one that connects the greenway from Avda. de Gandía).
It will be great to see more people traveling safely on dedicated cycle paths / ways in Denia.
If I think the same, especially in summer when everything is full of tourists with their own or rental cars. Bicycles for everyone now! From Alicante and Valencia airports. You'll see how everyone will be delighted.
Indeed, we must reduce the use of the car, but those of us who live much of the year or all year beyond the Plaza de Benidorm, we have to use it so as not to risk our lives with the bicycle. Not all are tourists. You have to know where a tremendous percentage of taxes and consumption comes from in Denia and not to mention it. Access must be improved with a safe bike lane.
I wish tourism taxes would revert to Denia. It is a fallacy to say that they do. How are the streets, the beaches, the services? Look at the area of Les Deveses with its sewage leaks, for example, the Montgo area without electrical wiring in conditions etc. This of the bike lane is by simple posture. So much mobility gives them, pollution, etc. When they let anyone come here in the summer doing whatever they want with the excuse that they are tourists and that they are going to save us all. No ma'am no. In addition, to reduce the use of the car, it is necessary to increase public transport services and that can no longer be considered.
They are only justified when you are a tourist and you go with your car at full speed, going around on all sides and parking in crowded coves. Then there is no problem and they also make the wave when passing. Come go..
Not to mention it especially in summer, all full of tourists going around like crazy and parking in any way anywhere. Are you going to regulate them too? How much do pollution levels rise in summer?
And people over 70 / !!!! years and operated on their knees that we will go with a scooter ,,, what nonsense or with them you do not count Mr. Grimalt, just think of people who can walk from the esplanade to the Plaza Paris no ,,, with them not to think better ,,
A good example are many people who for different reasons cannot use a bicycle. It is extremely mean to say that many displacements of those of us who live here are unjustified when we have to endure in summer the great tourist overcrowding of national and foreign displaced persons. They could have used other arguments but those are precisely going to be no.