EU cash for Benidorm’s low emission zone

BENIDORM town hall is in line for a €3.2 million grant.
Still to be officially confirmed by the Ministry of Transport, this will be used to introduce a low emissions zone (ZBE) and  assist the digital transformation of urban transport, revealed Benidorm’s mayor, Toni Perez.
The resolution has now been published, included in the list of applications for a share in the €1.5 billion allocation from the EU’s Next Generation Fund.
Introduced to counteract the economic effects of the pandemic, there will be a €1 billion allocation in this first round of grants.
Most of the Benidorm grant, €1.4 million, will go towards the low emissions zone, with lesser amounts for projects that include more car parks, acquiring electric buses, managing deliveries in the town’s Low Emissions zone and providing secure parking places for bicycles.
“The aid programme for municipalities introducing low emission zones also obliges them to have a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), which Benidorm has had for some time,” Perez explained.
The mayor went on to explain that the low emission zone will cover a 35-hectare area, divided into Levante, town centre and Poniente subzones.
“Thanks to the policy of encouraging active and sustainable mobility that we introduced years ago, Benidorm is already well-ahead,” Perez said.