Gibraltar has come a very long way since 2011

  • Printer friendly view
 Monday, October 7, 2019 - 10:04
Gibraltar has come a very long way since 2011

ELECTION 2019

By Paul Balban, GSLP Liberal Candidate

A great deal of difficult work has been carried out following the launch of the Sustainable Traffic Transport and Parking Plan (STTPP). Trying to improve our quality of life has required a challenge to the core of who we are as a people.

We love our cars, that is a fact. We have one of the highest vehicle ownership rates in the world, that is also a fact. Yet we are slowly seeing changes in the way that we move. Bus use has increased significantly and more people are walking and cycling to work and to school. 

The Residential Parking Scheme has shown that it is possible to improve parking opportunities in residential areas while allowing commercial businesses to carry out their work within those zones and letting people visit family and friends. We are committed to making this work and extending its reach.

We have provided over 1200 new parking spaces in car parks within the last term of office alone and today there are close to 500 Pay & Display parking spaces close to amenities. Since 2015, over 1000 derelict and abandoned cars have been removed and disposed of, releasing much needed parking spaces.

We are committed to deploying Smart Parking technology which will end the needless search for parking in many areas. We have used road calming measures to help reduce speeding along busy roads, outside schools and highly populated areas, thereby increasing safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

The bus tracker has been ground breaking, increasing the takeup of the bus service. We have introduced new extra dedicated school bus services and improved our service with new route maps, and user-friendly bus flagpole signage. Next up, we’re going to bring smart technology right into our buses, providing further information to bus users regarding next buses approaching and arrival times. We will also revisit all options to be able to introduce green, hybrid or electric buses to our fleet where available technology allows.

The bicycle will take centre stage in our efforts to cement its place as a genuine alternative and sustainable form of transport. To that end, we will offer courses to help empower children and adults to learn to ride bicycles safely. Further bicycle parking will be provided throughout Gibraltar as this form of sustainable transport grows.

Unprecedented large-scale road resurfacing has taken place diligently the moment that the pace of construction has permitted, this will continue.

Our future brings even more exciting prospects as a GSLP Liberal Government, if re-elected, launches Gibraltar forward towards a #greenGibraltar, a Child Friendly City.

We will build 6 new parks, a green corridor encouraging people to walk and cycle, and it will become possible to walk and cycle considerable distances without coming into contact with traffic. We will be creating segregated bicycle lanes.

Pedestrian safety will also be at the forefront of our policies, making Gibraltar safer. The new commercial delivery hours introduced within Main Street and Irish Town has greatly improved the quality of life of and safety of pedestrians. We will build upon this next term as we reach out to people to join us become a city we can all be proud of.

Next term, our environment will be the legacy we will leave our children.

Join us on the 17th October. If you want the #greenGibraltar, you have to go out and vote for it. Now is not the time for political experiments. Now is the time for political experience. Vote for all TEN GSLP/Liberal candidates.

07-10-2019 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR