The Municipal Planning Department in Santa Cruz proposes the construction of underground car parks in the Rambla de las Tinajas, with almost 700 spaces, and in Méndez Núñez, between the old Cine Rex and San Martín street, with some 720, which would add to the almost 900 that the parking planned in San Isidro street. This was stated by the councilor responsible for the area, Guillermo Díaz Guerra, from the PP, during the plenary session that the City Council held yesterday, following the appearance requested by the PSOE spokesperson, Patricia Hernandezabout the parking deficit that exists in the city.
Díaz Guerra pointed out that the feasibility of said parking and that now it will have to be the Infrastructure area that decides if these underground car parks are built through a public concession to a company or through direct investment by the City Council. The mayor of Urbanism admitted that Santa Cruz has a major problem of lack of parking, which must be solved.
He reported that Santa Cruz attracts some 708,000 car trips per day, “of which two thirds move within the city.” He added that the most worrying fact is that of the total time these vehicles spend moving around the capital, 95% is spent looking for parking and only 5% “moving around the municipality.”
The mayor pointed out that the General Plan (PGO) that is in force allows the construction of parking in any part of the city, “so carrying them out is only a matter of will policy». Likewise, he pointed out that it is also necessary to regulate existing surface parking, “something that is already contemplated by the new Mobility and Traffic Ordinance, which this plenary session has already approved initially.” And he announced that the corresponding municipal regulations will be modified so that parking lots “in height” can be built on lots.
For her part, the PSOE spokesperson and former mayor of Santa Cruz denounced that of the more than 24,000 parking spaces provided for in the city planning, 18,000 are still to be built. «We do not understand that the PGO includes parking in different parts of the city, such as the neighborhood of La Salud, Duggi or in the future square known as Orche areaand these are not built, “said Patricia Hernández.
About, The Town Planning councilor wanted to make it clear that from his area, “as long as I am part of the Government team”, the pedestrianization of the area known as the Orche area will not be supported if parking alternatives are not offered in the area. The mayor of Infrastructures, the nationalist damaso arteagaargued that the cost to build an underground car park with 180 spaces in said space, whose pedestrianization project has already been approved, “is too high.”
