New blue-green zone parking app lets drivers go paperless and protect the environment
Consell de Formentera premiere Alejandra Ferrer and mobility chief Rafael González gave a press conference today to present a new app that allows motorists to add time for metred “blue and green zone” parking directly on their phones.

“We want islanders to take to the new app because of the built-in environmental benefits of paperless parking”, confided Ferrer, “but it’s also a time-saver: motorists now no longer have to spend time printing parking passes”.

How it works
The free Flowbird Parking app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Once the download is complete, submit your vehicle details into the app and go to a parking metre to enter your vehicle plate number. Rather than getting your parking pass from the metre, you’ll receive it on your mobile phone, where you can also set an alert to warn you when your time is almost up.

The mobility chief described the app’s three major benefits as forgoing printed passes, sparing drivers the trip back to their vehicle, and getting an alert when passes expire.

González said that people who preferred to do without the app would be able to get paper passes as they have done till now; the only difference is that now there’s no need to leave them in their vehicle.

Communications push
President Ferrer reminded islanders that the pay-to-park system started in La Savina in 2015 in response to that town’s parking crunch before gradually spreading to other towns.

The Consell has put together a video reminding drivers about the genesis of the local metred parking rollout and showing them all that’s new with the new app.

A tutorial on how to use Flowbird Parking has also been posted here., which can be seen here. Consell officials have hailed the collaboration of IB3, which supplied past images of the island to illustrate La Savina’s parking woes pre-blue zone.

Revamped website: zonablava.com
Details about the new paperless system are in Catalan, Spanish, English and Italian and can be found on the zonablava.com site. Tourists can use the app and pay by credit card. For Formentera residents, blue zone parking remains free of charge.

Promotional materials have been posted around the island, including at bus stop displays, and parking attendants carry explanatory brochures on hand.

Visitors to the website can also find information about vouchers which the Consell de Formentera makes available to urban tourist accommodations so guests can enjoy 25% off the cost of parking.

Checking parking authorisation
The zonablava.com website also features a section where you can enter your vehicle plate number and check whether your parking authorisations are in order and plan ahead by seeing in advance when they expire. Remember: renewals can be done online at the Virtual Citizen Information Office (OVAC) or in person and by appointment at the Citizen Information Office (OAC).

24 March 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Department of Sports reports that the municipal sailing school has expanded its arsenal of watercraft to include two new boats for the school’s sailers in training. Financing for the €6,171 boats was made possible by a deal between the Consell, Marina de Formentera and Trasmapi.

Deputy premiere Ana Juan, who has temporarily taken on duties as chair of the FDS, presented the watercraft together with Marina de Formentera manager Juanjo Costa, Trasmapi commercial director Alex Marí and Escola de Vela director Alex Figueiras.

Councillor Juan described the companies’ collaboration as “a huge help as we upgrade material and seek to build our base of nautical sports equipment” and stressed efforts within local government to promote basic sport and nautical activities.

Figueiras explained that the boats were appropriate for a wide array of aspiring sailors — “from seven year olds to grown-ups with basic sailing notions and capable of navigating solo”. The boats are equipped with three sails: a mainsail and headsail for standard navigating and a ‘gennaker’ with outrigger for when winds are favourable. According to Figueiras, the third sail is for more experienced sailors with a higher degree of control. The boats can be operated by a single adult or child, pairs or up to three sailors (either one adult and two children or two adults and one child).

The sailing school has eight single-seater Open Bics for beginner and advanced sailors ages five and up.

Escola de Vela classes
Roughly one hundred students are currently enrolled in the school’s winter classes and until the start of the summer programme, sailing and windsurf classes can be scheduled Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 11.30am, 11.30am to 1.30pm and 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Two-hour classes cost €10 and are for children and adults.

Located at the Centre d’Esports Nàutics, the municipal facility for sailing and windsurfing also accommodates two junior regatta groups and one standard regatta group, with twice weekly outings taking place on weekdays and Saturday (in the latter case outings are staggered to avoid overlap).

The Escola de Vela offers students wetsuits and life jackets for use during instruction. The strictest Covid-19 safety measures are applied at all times.

24 March 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera