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Areas Urbanism & territory, Tourism and Economic activities Mobility

One year in, taking stock of scheme to count and cap vehicles on Formentera

Foto balanc formentera.ecoConsell de Formentera president Alejandra Ferrer and mobility councillor Rafael González seized the opportunity of Sustainable Mobility Week to discuss an official progress report on the first phase—from the start of July to the end of August—of a system to regulate the number of vehicles brought onto the island.

President Ferrer retraced the path to Formentera's becoming an island where mobility is increasingly sustainable. Concerning this summer's rollout, Ferrer declared, “we met two of our main goals: no surprises or hitches, and a total vehicle count in tune with last summer's figure, breaking with our previous upward trend”.

The president stressed that the participation of islanders and businesses had been key to making the experience a success. “Today we're that much closer to the sustainable island every one of us aspires to”, she said. “During this period of reflection, we'll be meeting with stakeholders in our island's social and business spheres”, she added, explaining that the “Consell d'Entitats will prepare and vote on guidelines to be followed next season”.

Formentera.eco
For his part, Councillor González pointed out that an average of 20,595 vehicles were on the road in July and August. “We saw our lowest figure—17,834 vehicles with authorisation to be on the road—on the first of July”, González said. The high came 10 August, when the total was 21,929. Stacking up this year's maximum estimated total against the same figure in summer 2018, there was a two per-cent drop.

The councillor also highlighted €59,512 in total returns from a levy on incoming vehicles, pointing out that tourists paid a per-diem rate of €1 to drive cars and €0.50 to drive scooters. Nineteen tickets for violations of the new rules were issued as well; they are currently being processed.

Keeping tabs on vehicle traffic
Sharing data from tallies conducted in the first half of August, González held out an 8% drop in the average number of cars on local highways. Data from Balearic Port Authority (APB) indicate the amount of incoming and outgoing vehicle traffic rose by 1.9% in July and August, which the councillor accounted for by pointing out that “in summer 2018 we saw year-on-year growth of 13%, so we're looking at a slowdown in the acceleration of vehicles entering and exiting Formentera via the port”.

Public transport
In the peak period of August, tallies of riders getting on and off public transport reflected a 7.6% uptick compared to 2018. Averaging for July and August, the upswing was 1.6%.

Cycling
More good news came from manual tallies of cyclists on the network of nature trails, or rutes verdes, which revealed a 28% increase in bicycle use compared to 2017 data (records weren't kept in 2018). “The goal is to implement the Sustainable Mobility Plan, which lawmakers passed in 2018, and to make Formentera ever more sustainable”, said González. “There's still more work to be done.”


19 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

System to count and cap cars on island wraps up first summer season

The Department of Mobility of the Consell de Formentera announces that the start of the month came with the conclusion of the first-ever effort to regulate vehicles on Formentera roads in July and August.

An average of 20,595 vehicles were on the road in July and August (in the first month the figure was 19,532; in the second, 21,658). Of those, 1,625 belonged to visitors, 8,126 to Formentera residents, 9,276 to car hire companies and 1,568 to other categories of drivers.

Conclusive data and conclusions will be out at the end of the month, but, offering his own early reading of the endeavour's success, mobility councillor Rafa González called it “unprecedented” and held it up as a longtime request of islanders: “Our monitoring confirmed it—this maiden voyage went off without a hitch.”

Fewer vehicles than last year
González also called attention to the achievement of a top priority for the mobility department: 2019 marked the first year that the number of vehicles on the island didn't surpass the previous year's total (some twenty-two thousand). “We are able to say that fewer cars were here this year than last”, said González, “it's a clear break with the pattern in recent years”. The councillor also hailed “the constant collaboration of ferry companies, who kept travellers informed over the last two months”, and also applauded rental car firms “for removing quads from their selection”. He said residents and representatives of the local business community would begin meeting in October to review the rollout and shape plans for the year ahead.


2 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Formentera counts vehicles on highways

imatge-carretera-de-la-mola fo1The Consell de Formentera Mobility Department reports that, from 1 to 12 August, a surveying firm specialised in automated and manual vehicle tallies has been charged with studying how islanders get around the island (walking, cycling, public transport, personal vehicles) and how they are using parking areas.

The effort—one part of the local Sustainable Mobility Strategy—is the second such survey and tally in two years, and will be employed, said department head Rafael González, “to assess this summer's pioneer regulation scheme”.

Data on vehicle ingress and exit will be available when the period of regulation (July and August) concludes. According to González, those figures will be used, along with findings from the current research, “to asses how things have gone this season, and lay the groundwork for the one ahead”.

“So far”, said González, “we know the total number of vehicles on Formentera roads in July 2019 has remained below the same figure from 2018”. He pointed out that, on average, 19,183 cars were cleared to be driven on the island during the first half of the month, compared to 19,880 during the second.

In the final two weeks of July, clearance was extended to 1,428 tourists who brought a personal vehicle with them; to 8,851 tourists who rented a vehicle on the island; to 8,048 Formentera residents and to 1,553 owners of second homes on Formentera, local businesses, freight companies and others.

Quad-free roads
González also said his department would request a report from island law enforcement confirming the absence on local roads of quads. (New regulations prohibit drivers from renting them locally or bringing them onto the island.) Formentera Local Police recently issued a statement that no quads were observed during the seven days before 22 July. González held it up as proof that car hire companies are complying with the new rules, and hailed their efforts.

Complete the quick and easy request for clearance to operate a vehicle during the remainder of August at www.formentera.eco.


6 August 2019
Communication Department
Consell de Formentera

Two weeks in, Consell takes stock of scheme to regulate inbound vehicles

imatge-carretera-de-la-mola foThe Formentera Department of Mobility wishes to report that there were 19,183 cars and motor scooters authorised for operation on local roads in July. The figure is an average, and accounts for tourists and island residents both, not to mention vehicles with special exemptions.

In July, 7,720 local drivers were given the go-ahead to use their cars. Similar accreditation went to 2,594 rental cars and 6,257 rental scooters. All three represent the average number of vehicles over the two weeks since the programme—the first of its kind in Spain—launched.

First permits run out
Starting with visitors who brought their compact car from Eivissa during the first two weekends of the month, motorists have already maxed out July quotas in each category. Additional applications from Eivissa drivers hoping to bring a vehicle to Formentera were processed under the more general visitors' category.

Eivissa residents also reached the limit on scooters during the first half of the month. Administration officials discovered some of those applicants had jobs on the island—a fact entitling them to authorisation in a different category. “These drivers were processed in the right category, once again leaving space for scooter riders from Eivissa”, explained mobility councillor Rafael González.

The councillor pointed out that ferry companies continue to collaborate in the measure by serving as an information source for visiting tourists. “This means that visitors are already familiar with the measure when they arrive—ticking the box on one of our top priorities in the programme's maiden year”. González seized the chance to remind islanders that they too must get permission to drive on Formentera in July and August, and that certification can be requested easily on www.formentera.eco.

The councillor said that a device at the entry/exit point on carrer Almadrava will continue to take readings of all incoming vehicle plate numbers. Though the priority this year is building awareness about the regulation scheme, legislation establishes a system of fines of between €1,000 and €10,000. Tourists who bring compact cars pay €1/day and €0.50/ day for scooters.

Authorised vehicles during the first half of July (average)

Cars (visiting drivers) 657
Scooters (visiting drivers) 97
Cars (Mallorca and Menorca residents) 91
Scooters (Mallorca and Menorca residents) 27
Electric vehicles (visiting drivers) 44
Hybrid vehicles (visiting drivers) 21
Cars (Eivissa residents) 211
Scooters (Eivissa residents) 20
Vehicles (Formentera residents) 7720
Vehicles (drivers with second residence on Formentera) 413
Vehicles (Eivissa residents employed on Formentera) 60
Vehicles (drivers with reduced mobility) 32
Vehicles (local businesses) 379
Vehicles (freight) 359
Official and public service vehicles 40
Vehicles for public good 124
Industrial machinery 32
Classic or historical vehicles 5
Rental cars 2,594
Rental bikes 6,257

Total 19,183

18 July 2019
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Formentera begins regulating vehicle entry

inici-regulacio-formenteraIn a press conference held today, the Formentera Council's president and councillor of mobility, Alejandra Ferrer and Rafael González, announced details about a system to regulate how motorists bring vehicles to the island—plus how they drive and park once they are here—which will be in place from 1 July to 31 August.

Marking the launch of a programme which is the first of its kind in Spain, President Ferrer called it “a historic day”. “Our future and sustainability are inextricably intwined”, she said, “so we've taken this bold step to make the island sustainable financially, environmentally and socially, too”.

Ferrer reminded islanders of the twists and turns that have occurred since 2014, when residents asked authorities to regulate vehicle entry on the island as a way to reduce congestion on roads during the central months of summer. Legislation for Formentera's environmental and economic sustainability passed on 29 January, laying the groundwork for the Formentera Council to take the reins on capping the vehicles being driven on local roads in summer.

1 July is the first day of “regulated entry”. Companies that transport vehicles to Formentera collaborate by reminding motorists that special permission will now be required to drive. According to Councillor González, passengers will also be informed that “if they haven't gotten it yet, space is still available and authorisation can be requested on formentera.eco during the trip from Eivissa to Formentera”. Several weeks back, ferry companies began announcing on their websites that special accreditation would be required to operate a vehicle on the island in July and August.

The summer driving permit is free for all residents of the Balearic islands. Non-resident tourists must pay €1/day to operate a car and €0.50/day for scooters. Fines for motorists caught driving without the permit range from €1,000 to €10,000, though Councillor González said the priority now would be to educate drivers, and that fines would only be issued as a last resort. A camera installed at the only point of vehicle ingress and exit on the island—at carrer Almadrava in la Savina—will automatically check entering vehicles' plate number against the master list of authorised vehicles, and unauthorised vehicles will trigger an alert.

The mobility councillor pointed out that, on average, roughly twenty thousand vehicles—cars or scooters—can be on the road on any given day of the implementation period. Last summer, the total number of vehicles on the island peaked at twenty-two thousand. González explained that authorities used last year's maximum to set this summer's cap, ensuring that “for the first time ever, Formentera is on track to buck the trend of ever-increasing vehicles on our roads”.

The initiative will be reappraised before next summer to see to it necessary upgrades are performed and, in the words of González, to “make sure we hit our sustainability mark—to be a place that tourists want to visit and where we islanders want to live, now and in the years ahead”.

Educational campaign

The Formentera Council is also behind an information push that includes handing out six thousand pamphlets across ticket counters at the Eivissa and Formentera ferry docks and tourist information points. The outreach initiative's architects have put together a video for distribution on CiF social media accounts and viewing on ferry journeys. Translated in Catalan, Castilian Spanish, English and Italian, the initiative is aimed at reviewing the measure and linking it with the goal of local sustainability.

Complete details on the regulating scheme are also available on the formentera.eco reservation portal.

1 July 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

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