The Ibiza Preservation and Sustainability Observatory has assessed the situation on the Balearic island, the impact of road traffic in a territory linked to the debate on environmental, social and economic sustainability and on tourist income.
The most striking fact that the observatory concludes is that this territory of the Pitiusas Islands There is practically more than one car for every resident.
The island of Ibiza has approximately 160,000 inhabitantsaccording to INE data, a population that continues to grow throughout the year, with the consequence of a consumption of resources that also occurs in the low season.
An Ibizan, a car
Resources such as vehicle use which, according to data analyzed by the Ibiza Preservation and Sustainability Observatoryit is highlighted that in 2023 the total number of vehicles on the island was similar to that of 2022, increasing from 159,895 to 160,835.
That is to say that in 2023 Ibiza has maintained a motorization rate higher than one vehicle per person qualified by the organization as “pupil», exceeding the figure of one vehicle per person.
According to the Ibiza Sustainability Report 2023funded by the Consell Insular d’Eivissa and currently in preparation by the Ibiza Preservation and Sustainability Observatory, The figure rises to 1,010 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023.
Tourist flow
This value represents a slight decrease from 1,053 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants recorded in 2022, attributed to the increase in population and the low variation in the island’s vehicle fleet.
The tourist flow also clutters its road network, since around 22,000 rental cars circulate on the island each season. In August 2023, in Ibiza, the population, during the month par excellence of the tourist season, approached 341,000 people, the highest figure since records began.
The Ibiza Preservation and Sustainability Observatory has analyzed the data provided by the Balearic Islands Statistical Institute (IBESTAT), highlighting the “urgency to reduce the use of private vehicles and promote the sustainable transport network, such as public transport, cycling and walking.
Road sustainability
In absolute terms, the Ibiza 2023 Sustainability Report reveals that the total number of vehicles in Ibiza recorded a slight variation, with an increase which happened at the same time when the number of buses decreased by 28% (from 423 to 302) and the number of private cars by 1% (from 98,405 to 97,273). According to the Observatory, the long-term trend is that everything points to a significant growth in the number of vehicles on the island.
“The vehicle fleet has grown considerably in recent years: since 2013, it has increased by 28.5%, and since 2003, the increase has been 78%”, they explain from the Observatory.
To find out more about the report and impact of road traffic on the island, we interviewed Inma Saranovaexecutive director of Ibiza Preservation.
OKGREEN: You worked on the motorization rate on the island of Ibiza… What did you analyze specifically?
Inma Saranova: It is a fact that we usually analyze every year taking advantage of the World Car Free Day of the Ibiza Preservation and Sustainability Observatory. These are the data that we have collected from data provided by the Statistical Institute of the Balearic Islands, including on the island’s vehicle fleet last year.
In 2023 we saw that the motorization rate reached 1,001 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, which is a figure higher than the local population, which means that there are more vehicles than people and in these calculations we let’s include all residents, not just those who are old enough. to drive. Well, and ultimately what highlights is the urgent need to reduce the use of private vehicles and promote other, more sustainable modes of transport.
Q: We are supposed to be talking about an issue closely related to tourism. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about mass tourism and sustainability, as opposed to a model that generates jobs and income.
A: It is clear that yes, tourism is a key economic driver for Ibiza, but it also has a very significant impact on the environment, particularly in terms of overpopulation and depression of our local resources.
The increase in the number of vehicles is also directly linked to the influx of tourists, as many of them rent cars to get around the island. In addition, the rental car fleet in Ibiza is very large and our challenge is also to find a socio-environmental balance and try to ensure that the tourism sector, like any other economic sector, is sustainable, reducing its environmental footprint.
It is clear that any sector that is not ecologically sustainable can no longer be desirable in any territory. This is why, also in terms of tourism strategy, we believe that sustainable mobility policies must be an essential element.
Q: There is a vehicle for every Ibizan who lives on the island, but not everyone has a car or motorbike. What is your main request?
A: We have several. But the main thing, of course, is to implement urgent measures to curb the trend towards the use of private cars. These include improving public transport by creating a more efficient and accessible network, as well as encouraging the use of a very futuristic means of transport, namely the bicycle, which requires no fuel, and other forms of sustainable mobility.
We also advocate for policies that encourage certain things with English names that people really like to call like carpooling which consists of sharing travel between individuals, or carpoolingwho shares taxi rides.
These are measures that not only help reduce emissions, but also improve quality of life by reducing traffic and freeing up public space. But there is also a measure that involves compliance with the law by administrations regarding the establishment of low-emission zones which are obligatory in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, such as the city of Ibiza and in island territories in accordance with the law on climate change and energy transition.
However, to date this measure is not applied in the municipality of Ibiza. And this despite the fact that recently the Secretary General of Sustainable Mobility of the Ministry of Transport, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, has already warned that municipalities that do not respect low-emission zones will not be able to receive aid for public transport , which would force us to enter an impossible loop there.
Q: There is a striking fact: cars that come from outside other provinces are neither taken into account nor valued. In other words, this suggests that the motorization rate would be higher. How could this point be controlled?
A: This is because the vehicle data does not include those coming from outside Ibiza, such as cars rented by tourists or workers’ vehicles. Many of these vehicles are on the island temporarily, but for a very long time, so the impact is quite significant.
To control these situations, it is essential to put in place a system of registration of vehicles entering Ibiza via, either by charging a fee or a system of temporary permits, as our neighboring island, Formentera, has been doing for years and which works very well. .
In addition, we also need to improve infrastructure to reduce dependence on private cars. In other words, it is ultimately about encouraging more sustainable mobility options from the moment visitors arrive on the island.
Q: Another hot spot on the island seems to be public transportation. And on this subject there is also some surprising data, to say the least, because there are many cars. And public transport?
A: We have public transport that we can describe as deficient. This is not optimal. Public transport in Ibiza faces very significant challenges. For example, the Observatory data that we have made public reveals a reduction in the number of buses which has fallen by 28% between 2022 and 2023, which logically limits the ability of residents and visitors to move efficiently on the island.
This decline is worrying because it goes against efforts to reduce the use of private vehicles. For this reason, at Ibiza Preservation we consider it essential not only to increase the frequency and availability of public transport, but also to improve its connection and make it a much more attractive option for everyone.
Not so much in the tourist season, when human pressure skyrockets, as in the low season. While regular buses are drastically reduced for residents traveling to work in other municipalities, it is virtually impossible to do without your own vehicle.
Q.: But we have reached a point where Ibiza is a tourist destination that maintains a high number of visitors throughout the year…
A: Of course, the season is getting longer and longer. But hey, it’s true that we have a reduction in human pressure. Specifically this year, 2024, in August Ibiza reached 264,000 people, which is 100,000 more than it usually is throughout the year.
Or, at least, the ones that are recorded. And yes, the season is getting longer and longer, practically from spring to October. In fact, now, if you come, you will see that there are still quite a few tourists.
Q.: We all have this impatience in our heads of having to go quickly. Do we need to change our thinking model about how to get to vacation destinations?
It has to do with what you say, with a change in mentality. On the one hand, it is a question of tackling the problem of surplus vehicles by placing emphasis on the promotion of sustainable mobility.
But for this to happen, we must logically improve public transport infrastructure by facilitating the use of bicycles, as I have already said, which is very good as shared mobility, by encouraging people to move their bodies, to walk, taking advantage of the fact that we have very beautiful walking routes…
And also in the creation of policies limiting the number of vehicles allowed on the island and in the implementation of awareness measures so that people are encouraged to look for alternatives other than the quickest one, that of taking a car and get to the place they want. . We want to go there at the right time.
Q: What are the activities and objectives of Ibiza Preservation
A: We are an environmental foundation that seeks to regenerate this extraordinary natural heritage that we have in Ibiza and Formentera and also to promote sustainability on the islands and, among others, through, for example, our Sustainability Observatory, which also benefits of the financing of the Council of the Island of Ibiza.
We collect and analyze certain data related to certain key topics such as biodiversity, waste, water, mobility and what we want is to help with this data to guide certain options to preserve nature and the landscape.
And we also promote other conservation projects that range from the protection of the marine environment and terrestrial biodiversity to the promotion of local and ecological products or the circular economy.
