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Formentera's mobility plan becomes reality

foto 201812 ple 1When the Formentera Council celebrated its December plenary assembly today in the conference hall of the dependent care facility, the session featured definitive approval for  the island's “Sustainable Mobility Strategy” (Pla de Mobilitat Sostenible).

Mobility councillor Rafael González described the action plan, now on track for a 2019 rollout, “as a roadmap guiding how Formentera residents will get around on the island over the next several years”. “The steps we're taking now are bringing us closer to sustainbility”, said the councillor, “and improving the island for islanders, but our task is also to ensure our visitors see those differences that set us apart from other destinations”.

The new plan strives for a landscape in which cars relinquish some terrain in order to favour other more sustainable kinds of mobility like bycicles or public transport.

Land for low-cost public housing

Today's session came with cross-party support for a proposed land-use deal whereby property owners, who expressed their buy-in as well, will hand over portions of land to the Council for public use and municipal equipment.

Plans are in place for the 775m2 plot, which has a development potential of 1.2m2 per metre squared and is zoned for 60% occupancy on the ground and first floors, to be used by the Balearic housing authority (IBAVI) for low-cost public housing.

Other measures

Also securing unanimous support were measures from the Gent per Formentera (GxF) cabinet about taxi fares and ratification of nominations for representatives and stand-ins for the various sections of the Consell d'Entitats.

Winning the support of GxF and Compromís despite failing to secure conservative backing was a Socialist measure concerning Formentera's adhesion to a bike-friendly city project encouraging Madrid to update national ordinances in urban spaces so that the default speed limit is 30K/h. The project is headed by a group called “Network of Cities for Bikes” (Red de Ciudades por la Bicicleta).