The San Bartolomé City Council reviews the implementation of the new driveway permit ordinance, launched in October 2024, a pioneering initiative in Lanzarote and the Canary Islands that seeks to optimize the use of public space, improve traffic flow, and offer more parking options to residents.
The main objective of this measure is to free up space in the municipality's streets, allowing residents with more than one vehicle to park in their driveways. This not only improves traffic flow and reduces congestion in residential areas but also facilitates access to parking for other residents.
Since its implementation and within a year, a total of 549 applications have been processed and 1013 cards have been issued to authorize parking in driveways.
The mayor of San Bartolomé, Isidro Pérez, celebrates the results of this "zero-cost" initiative with "a great impact on improving the quality of life in San Bartolomé."
In this regard, 424 parking authorization requests were received in 2025, compared to 213 registered in 2024, representing a 99% increase, and the number of cards issued to allow parking in driveways has grown by 84%, from 549 to 1013 in the first year of the measure's implementation.
Mayor Isidro Pérez highlighted that this project has addressed a real need for parking in the municipality, explaining that "San Bartolomé has positioned itself at the forefront with a pioneering initiative in the Canary Islands, demonstrating that innovative, effective, and accessible measures can be driven by local management, which could be replicated in other municipalities on the islands." Words underscored by the councilor for Roads and Works, Public Services, and Traffic, Raúl de León, who points out that having surpassed a thousand cards issued in just over a year demonstrates the interest generated among the population by offering a practical solution to an everyday problem.
Playa Honda, the most in-demand area
The greatest impact of the ordinance has been registered in Playa Honda, where parking traditionally presents a high level of difficulty. This area accounts for 326 of the 424 applications submitted in 2025, representing nearly 77% of the total.
Thanks to the new regulation, registered residents with more than one vehicle at their address can park in their own driveway, freeing up space on public roads and improving traffic flow.
Thanks to this measure, many families with more than one vehicle have been able to park in their own driveway, freeing up space on public roads and improving the rotation of available parking spaces in residential areas
The San Bartolomé City Council considers this initiative a resounding success, as it frees up space in the streets, reduces congestion, and improves neighborly coexistence, where thanks to intelligent urban planning, it thus facilitates the rotation of available parking spaces in residential areas.
