The Valencia regions Ministry of Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility has brought together in Alicante, municipal technical staff, business organisations, trade unions and transport companies to analyse the proposals of the Alicante-Elche Metropolitan Mobility Plan (PMoMe), which is coming to the end of the public consultation phase.
Thus, until next June 10, citizens, city councils and social agents can present proposals and allegations to this plan, which aims to “improve the pattern of displacement of the more than 750,000 people who live in the eight municipalities of the area”, recalled the General Director of Public Works, Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Roser Obrer.
As estimated in the plan, the total investment required by the Generalitat in the medium and long term for the Alicante-Elche Metropolitan Mobility Network amounts to 316 million euro.
At the meeting, the different proposals of the Alicante-Elche PMoMe were addressed, among which the incorporation of a high-capacity, energy-efficient and easily accessible bus service to link Elche with Alicante stands out. A similar service is also proposed between Crevillente and Elche through the Elche district of Carrús, and will connect Elche with the Alicante intermodal station, the business park and the Miguel Hernández University. This system, as Roser Obrer pointed out, “is a form of transport that already works at a European level in cities like Nantes”.
Likewise, the creation of a Metropolitan Transport Coordination Service is proposed, with representation from town councils, the Generalitat and the Ministry, to address, among other issues, the implementation of a fare integration system that can offer the option of traveling with the use of a single ticket.
Other proposals are the possibility of requesting stops on demand in intercity public transport, as well as enabling a mobile application that allows connecting people who want to share a vehicle on their journeys.
Expansion of the Cercanías network and TRAM d’Alacant
In addition, this plan proposes to the Ministry a series of measures to improve mobility in matters of its competence, among which the creation of a stop in the Elche Business Park with a future shuttle bus service stands out.
In relation to rail, reference is made to the Expansion Plan for the TRAM d’Alacant network with the creation of a new connection to the current network with Sant Joan and its hospital and the continuation to Mutxamel, from Lines 1 and 3, linking Luceros with Benidorm and El Campello respectively, as well as the extension from Luceros to the future Alicante Intermodal station.
Another of the planned actions will allow the extension of the current Line 2, which runs from Luceros to Sant Vicent del Raspeig, to the hospital in this town, providing service, in turn, to the residents of the entire municipality. From the new Alicante Intermodal station, once the work is finished, it is planned to connect to the southwest of the city of Alicante with the neighbourhoods of La Florida, Ciudad de Asís and San Fernando-Princesa Mercedes.
On the other hand, the creation of a new TRAM line 6 (Alicante Intermodal – Hospital de Sant Vicent) is contemplated for the future intermodal station with the southern route of the Gran Vía, through the San Blas, Los Ángeles, San Agustín, Tómbola and Divina Pastora, until connecting with the current route to the TRAM d’Alacant, near the Ciudad Jardín stop.
To the extensions and expansions of the network, we must add the opening to the sea of the surroundings of the current La Marina station, whose project is in the drafting phase, as well as all the actions aimed at the recovery and modernisation of Line 9 ( Benidorm-Dénia), a process that is in execution or underway administratively in all its phases.
Facilitate intermodality and the use of bicycles
In the same way, the need to have interchanges for an agile transfer between the different operators is suggested: interurban bus, TRAM, urban bus and suburban trains, in enclaves such as the Alicante Intermodal, Airport, Sant Joan Hospital, Elx-Matola , Elx-Carrús, Alicante bus station and Puerta de Alicante shopping centre.
Likewise, the convenience of expanding places in dissuasive car parks to facilitate the use of public transport is manifested. In total, the idea is to create more than 3,000 places in the metropolitan area of Alicante and Elche.
To this must be added, with the aim of tending towards more sustainable mobility, the commitment of the Generalitat to significantly increase the number of kilometres for pedestrians and cyclists existing in the metropolitan area with the extension to 250 kilometres of cycle paths. Currently the cycling network, counting urban and interurban network, has an approximate length of 140 kilometres.
