The candidate for mayor of Arrecife for Podemos Canarias, Nona Perera, accuses the current mayor, Astrid Pérez, of "squandering" public money with the works to beautify Fred Olsen Avenue. According to Perera's criteria, the area already complies with the announced improvements and the investment money could be used for other neighborhoods that need to develop their basic infrastructure.
Perera expresses her "incredulity" at the public spending of almost two million euros to renovate 250 meters of the avenue. "It does not need considerable improvements," she insisted in a statement issued this Tuesday.
According to her opinion, that area already complies with the announced improvements and the works will not contribute "anything new" to a space that is already enjoyed by citizens without major difficulties because it already has a bike lane, good lighting, adequate street furniture, large sidewalks and does not present major accessibility difficulties.
Under the vision of the candidate for Mayor of Arrecife and expert in historical heritage, there are neighborhoods that need improvements in their basic infrastructure to guarantee the safety and comfort of their inhabitants. "Given the financial emergency situation that the consistory is experiencing, the government group should be much more responsible with economic resources and invest in projects that are really necessary for the capital's neighborhoods," she adds.
In this way, Nona Perera urges Astrid Pérez to invest those 2 million from the Next Generation funds to undertake improvements to basic services in the most forgotten neighborhoods of the capital, which have major deficiencies in sidewalks, lighting and shade areas. "I think no one can explain that while walking through Argana Alta is a gymkhana, the mayor is still determined to spend money on giant flowerpots."
Tactical urbanism to pedestrianize Fred Olsen
The leader of Podemos in Arrecife does agree on the need to pedestrianize the area and some adjacent streets to reduce CO2 emissions and favor the transit of pedestrians, but opts for less invasive formulas, without large and annoying works and without millionaire investments.
Perera insists that it is about intervening urbanistically through signage and preventing the passage of vehicles with non-fixed elements that also beautify the city, always in collaboration with the commerce of the area and the neighbors. This allows the intervention to be better received since there is no need to endure the inconveniences of a work and that there is the option of reversing the project if the results are not desired by the affected agents.
"Tactical urbanism is giving good results in modern cities and references in sustainable mobility such as Barcelona or La Laguna and Arrecife should bet on it if it wants to look to the future," concluded Nona Perera.