In the southwest of Galicia, some residents blocked zebra crossings to protest mass tourism, causing a huge traffic jam.
Mass tourism has raised numerous proposals this year in Spain, but a small Galician town has made its complaints felt in an unusual way. In the Galician town of O Híoin the southwest of the community, residents protested against the excessive influx of tourists by blocking zebra crossings.
Crossing them non-stop for a total of 37 minutes, caused a great traffic jam on the roadprecisely highlighting the problem they wanted to highlight.
Why do they block the zebra crossings in this town?
“Traffic problems are already common, but this year they have tripled at least,” explains Mercedes Villar to the local newspaper ‘La Voz de Galicia’. “It is a car avalanche that not only pollutes, but affects everyone’s lives because they park wherever they want. We too have the right to live,” she protests.
The inhabitants of this small coastal town affirm that, although they are not against the turismo In themselves, they want the authorities to find a solution that benefits both partiesso that residents and visitors can coexist happily. They claim that They block access to their homestraffic accidents are becoming more frequent and the traffic markings that control parking are ignored.
“The protest was intended to raise awareness and raise the alarm“, explains another neighbor to ‘La Voz’. “We want people to be civil and understanding and that, if they see that there is no place to park, they leave, as we all have to do in any city.”
Improper parking of tourists creates “danger” for residents
Villar, who is a spokesperson for the neighborhood association, added that, while residents usually park their cars correctly, visitors who do not do so are creating “a situation of insecurity and danger“.
Neighbors fear that the situation will cause problems with access to the emergency vehiclesand cite cases of residents who needed to be picked up by ambulance, but found their home exits blocked or their transportation delayed due to the large number of vehicles on the streets.
In statements to ‘La Voz’, Villar adds that the large amount of traffic has caused “uncivil” behaviorssuch as visitors littering roads and parking areas. He also claims that excessive traffic has caused some roads to deteriorate. “We want a orderly and polite tourism that respects the environment. This is paradise, but paradises also break down“, he states.
The City Council has invited residents to discuss their complaints
Like many other Spaniards who protest against excessive tourism, Villar believes that the growing popularity of his town has a lot to do with the impact of the social networks.
“This is sold as a beautiful place without people, but that’s no longer true,” he explains, adding that residents tend to avoid beaches during the tourist season because they are too crowded.
He hopes that the protests over the zebra crossings have shown how “upset” residents are with the situation. In response, The City Council has invited the neighbors dissatisfied to a meeting to discuss their grievances at the end of September.
From Cantabria, in the north, to Málaga, in the south, more and more Spaniards are asking the Government to change the current situation mass tourismwhich they consider is getting out of hand. They say that your impact is having a negative effect on the housing prices and rents, as well as the standard of living of residents.
