Malaga’s next budget will include the remodelling of Victoria Street

Town planning and locals have agreed on the issue, although the main question remains unanswered: the extent of traffic restrictions on private vehicles

Chus Heredia

The need for a comprehensive redevelopment of the Calle de la Victoria is unanimously agreed on by government, opposition and residents alike.

There has been ... a succession of political iniciatives, neighbourhood petitions and meetings on the subjuct. The urban planning department is curently working on drafting a proposal that will be ready by mid-July so that it can be presented to the district council and board. The aim is for a budget allocation to be in place for the 2027 financial year.

This issue was discussed among others yesterday at a meeting attended by neighbourhood representatives from the Barrio de la Victoria Action Group; the local councillor responsible for the area, Carmen Casero; the councillor for the City Centre, Francisco Cantos; the director of the City Centre district, Alicia Silva; and several municipal officials.

The council is working toward creating a straighter street, without parking spaces, with wider pavements, raised pedestrian crossings, trees and new street lighting.

The council is working toward creating a straighter street, without parking spaces, with wider pavements, raised pedestrian crossings, trees and new street lighting. But beyond aesthetic and urban solutions, the key lies in mobility. The high number of passengers using the bus on this route makes it necessary to maintain the EMT bus routes. The most complex issue is deciding the extent of traffic restrictions.

The mobility department is therefore conducting studies to restrict private traffic on this road, which, according to the latest data on weekday traffic volumes, sees an average of over 9,300 vehicles in both directions combined.

The City Council is analysing the possibility of extending the protected zone of the Historic Centre to include Victoria Street, so that its use could remain as it is on Carretería and Álamos streets, limited to residents, public transport (bus routes carrying over seven million passengers a year pass through this route) and authorised vehicles.

Restricted zone

Officials are considering including the area within the boundaries of the Historic Centre, with its usual restrictions. This would mean treating the area in the same way as the existing zones: the Historic Centre, Carretería-Álamos and the area surrounding the Centre for Contemporary Art. In these areas, a number plate recognition system fines vehicles entering the zone without authorisation or without being included on the council's list of residents or traders in the area, or who fall within the categories allowing occasional access, for which there is the option of submitting a declaration of responsibility form.

In the case of Calle Victoria, to restrict the passage of private vehicles in both directions in the future, the main challenge lies in defining the boundaries of this part of the city that would be included within the protection zone. In other words, which buildings and blocks’ residents will be able to continue using the street without any restrictions.

In any case, Calle Victoria forms part of the Low Emission Zone that is already in operation, so traffic is expected to decrease gradually in the medium term, as vehicle access is restricted according to their environmental category.

Some progress

According to the plans so far, the project will remove the existing on-street parking spaces (around 20 spaces). Consequently, the east-side pavement, where the trees will remain, will be widened to 4.40 metres to allow for more comfortable pedestrian movement.

In the centre of the street, two traffic lanes will be retained, at a different level from the pavements, and the pavement closest to the Lagunillas area will remain 2.70 metres wide, without trees. Rubbish bins will remain on the street as at present, and a loading and unloading zone could be established on Calle Huerto del Conde.