Pamplona has huge gaps in terms of mobility. It's way behind some of the cities around it. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, Donostia-San Sebastián or Zaragoza, for example, milestones have been established in favor of a new mobility model since the turn of the century. In Pamplona, however, little progress has been made in the last 30 years. Moreover, it can be said that it has worsened. Between 1996 and 2013 the use of cars increased and the number of users of public transport and bicycles decreased. This has not happened anywhere else.

In addition, in Pamplona the municipal traffic tax is cheaper than in the rest of the capitals of the province of the Spanish State. Car associations regard it as a tax haven. It is paradoxical, because Navarre has a high average income and is the community with the least unemployment. However, we must not forget that here is the factory that Volkswagen has in Landaben. This gives the city an air favorable to the use of cars.

Economic and particular interests should be set aside and a firm commitment to a modern mobility model should be made. Currently there are six lanes on the city axes, all of them for vehicles. Public transport and bicycles are excluded. In addition, on these axes the speed is maximum. They're like urban highways. Deep adaptations must be made in them, even in black spots of the city, such as the avenues of Ermitagaña and Gipuzkoa.

This is a serious problem. As a sign of this, eight people have died in the last two years as they were hit by a car in Pamplona/Iruña. In almost all cases, the victims have been elderly people, and accidents have occurred on so-called black spots. Moreover, it is noteworthy that only deaths on the spot or a few days after the accident are taken into account. We, on the contrary, know that victims sometimes die in a few months.

Partisan obstacles

In order to reverse this situation, last October we created the 8-80 platform among people who have participated in bicycle related activism. Three are our main demands: to create a bidegorris network in the region, to make adaptations in public transport and to create a new ordinance to solve the conflict existing in the sidewalks. The new municipal government is prepared to change the current model of government, but, for the time being, it has not taken the necessary steps to do so. Partisanship is being an obstacle.

In the area of mobility there is an ideological debate: for some, all the changes must ensure the fluidity of traffic, and for others, simply, the use of cars must be reduced. It is a very important issue, and I believe that teams working in other areas should be more focused on it. In short, mobility is a reflection of many of society’s problems. The current model prioritizes white men with cars between 20 and 60 years old and leaves them out, among others, children, the elderly, women, immigrants... That is why we should all be working on mobility.