Under new Nerja municipal ordinances, businesses in areas such as avenida Mediterráneo and calle Antonio Millón are supposed to be removing street ‘furniture’ from what are, in fact, car parking spaces. With parking in Nerja at a premium and the new underground car park at Parque Verano Azul suffering incessant delays, the objective is to free-up a few extra spaces. So how is it going?
Some of the ‘street furniture’ is quite formidable, almost like a permanent structure, and will take a bit of moving.
To many local residents in Nerja, the action seems a little bit contradictory. On the one hand, the authorities are keen to attract visitors to these areas and see the offering of a handful of parking spaces as a step in that direction. On the other hand, one of the main attractions of these areas is the ability to be able to sit outside and enjoy a drink or a good meal.
It is quite conceivable that, if the outside terraces disappear, visitors will simply use the area as a car park and walk to some other part of town where they can still drink or dine alfresco. That will mean that the bars and restaurants will suffer financially as a result and, under current economic conditions, that is not particularly healthy.
A second, and quite likely scenario, is that the few parking spaces which do become available will generally be taken up by local residents and not by visitors to the town.
So, is it worth it? A few extra parking spaces at the expense of numerous diners at any one time and on a daily basis.