cities

The subsoil of historical cities hides a great garbage vacuum. The problem is that you have to punch

by

Tony Soprano, from the great series’The soprano‘He was dedicated to garbage management. It may seem an exaggeration designed for fiction, but as usually happens, fiction surpasses reality. Base management It is a problem for half the world (more now than China decided to stop being our landfill) and move so much money that there is mafias moving from one country to another. In the search for solutions, the definitive company came up with a Swedish company to stop seeing cubes and garbage trucks through the streets: move waste from pipes. It is something that has turned medieval cities into the technological pinnacle of garbage collection. But the day -to -day life of the neighbors is something else. Changing the approach. It all started by chance. At the end of the 1950s, the Sollefte hospital in Sweden was investigating the creation of a central aspiration system to catch dust. One of the participants in the table was OLOF H.Hallstrom, director of Centralsug, the current Waste Waste company, and the idea arose: instead of a giant vacuum For dust, a giant garbage vacuum could be created. So They tell On its website, where they point out that the system was inaugurated in the hospital in 1961 and that it continues to work with many of the original pieces installed more than 60 years ago. But of course, if it works so well in a building, why not expand the network to an entire city? That is no longer so easy. Sollefte basements with garbage collection tubes A giant vacuum. First of all, you have to see how it works. Known as’Pneumatic garbage collection‘O’ Automatic vacuum collection ‘, AVAC from now on, is a giant vacuum connected to a multitude of underground pneumatic tubes. On the surface there are a series of nozzles that are designed for organic or plastic waste (the glass could damage the system) in which the bag is deposited with the waste and, thanks to fans that generate suctions of more than 60 km/h, travel through the tubes to a collection center. Example of one of these nozzles They are classified and loaded into trucks to transport them to their final location. This system reduces the use of trucks and their corresponding pollution, as well as Cubes in the streets. The most current systems include doors that are automatically open and cards in possession of citizens to activate the system. Modernizing historical cities. And that reduction of cubes and trucks circulating is something ideal for any city, but it seems key in locations with two profiles: tourist or old helmets of medieval cities. A clear example is Bergen, a Norwegian city founded in 1070 that is the second most populated in the country and has a historic center full of colorful wooden houses. It has fired several times and the garbage itself can be a focus of fire, so by safety and improve the helmet, they decided to bet on an avac type system. It is one of the 200 cities in the world in which this system has been installed and, as we read in The Washington Postthe diesel emissions Since the garbage trucks stopped circulating along their narrow streets. Among others, Leganés, Barcelona, ​​Barakaldo, Torrent, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Stockholm, Doha or Seoul have neighborhoods in which a pneumatic collection system is used, and in new construction complexes of some cities are also betting on it. Complex. The problem is what you can imagine: the system itself is expensive, but it is also a headache. In new neighborhoods, it is as simple as to pass one more pipe in the streets where there are already other pipes, but in Historical cities Or neighborhoods already built, bet on something like avac implies lifting the streets and performing a considerable work. Bergen’s example is clear. As they point out on TWP, since they made the decision to start building the system in the historic center in 2007, they have invested about 100 million dollars. There are years to finish connecting the entire network and estimate that the cost will be 30 million dollars. Terje Strom, responsible for waste management in the city, says it is “almost impossible.” Contextualizing the figures? It is almost the entire annual budget of the Waste Department. Collection Central in Konza Technolopis, Africa Gamification and penalty. But, leaving cost aside, user experiences seem positive. It is a system that simplifies the garbage, which eliminates full cubes and the truck transit. In Spain we have containersbut in other cities they work with individual cubes that roll through the streets and share the stamp. Not everything is perfect, since although there are no trucks, they do operators who are dedicated to unblocking the mouths when someone introduces something that should not. And beyond not seeing garbage trucks, there are two incentives for citizens. One is the gamification by application That tells us how many kilos we have deposited in real time and compares with the previous month. It also tells us how average we are, since there is a limit. In Bergen, to open waste mouths, residents bring their electronic key, which allows you to register how much discard and collect a rate according to the amount of non -recycled garbage they send to the incinerator. This penalty is something that It has also been seen in South Koreawith positive results regarding the increase in recycling. Not everyone is happy. Beyond installation costs, it seems the perfect system to manage waste. However, looking at what happens in Spanish cities in which these systems have been installed, we see that not everything is so beautiful. There are more than thirty cities that use this pneumatic collection, and in some Failures are reported that cause the tubes to be full due to pipes that do not absorb well. Tubes in a kind of garbage rooms in Leganés. The main problem for users is the diameter of the mouth. Image | Xataka It is something that causes bad odors, as users of … Read more

Some researchers have calculated mathematically which are the most tourist cities in the world. Bad news, Barcelona

by

Each summer Barcelona usually Be news in the foreign press for its attractiveness as a tourist destination. After all, its mixture of Mediterranean climate, beach, culture, architecture and gastronomy attract every year to hundreds of thousands of travelers from other parts of the world. However in July 2024 The Ciudad Condal monopolized holders in the media of the entire planet for a rather different reason: fed up with saturation, a group of neighbors dedicated himself to shooting visitors with water guns next to posters in which messages such as “Tourists Go Home” were read. That was a sample (The nth) The impact of the sector in the Catalan capital, a phenomenon that has now been black on white in A study which identifies Barcelona as the city most pressured by tourism. Tourist density. That is the parameter that has analyzed Nomad Esim in A report published a few days ago, a study in which he is dedicated to examining how Overurism It is affecting some of the most popular destinations in the world. To do this, it has basically valued two parameters: the size of the cities and the number of foreign visitors who receive each year, which allows it to calculate their “density” of travelers. With the results it has elaborated A 40 -cities ranking Headed by Porto, Cancun and Barcelona, ​​which leads the list. Why’s that? Nomad technicians have estimated that Barcelona receives about 20.37 million tourists who are forced to be distributed by an urban area of 101 square kilometerswith what the concentration of visitors per km2 amounts to 201.722. There is no other city on the list that approaches him. The second in the ranking, Cancun, has 147,887 tourists per km2 and in Porto do not even reach 144,000. The fourth place is occupied by New York, with 137,712, which Dubrovnik (112,500), Florence (107,843), Kyoto (98,651) and Lisbon (88,000). Mallorca occupies the 37th position, with 5,137, and Paris the 29th (16,820). Issue of density and size. That data does not mean that Barcelona is the one that receives the most tourists. Not much less. New York, Kyoto, Los Angeles, Paris, Las Vegas or London (to quote only some examples) receive more visitors than the city, according to the information that Nomad Esim manages, but its largest urban extension explains that the tourist massification is not so high. The data of the report They must also be taken as what they are: a report, with their biases and limitations. His estimate of tourists does not coincide for example with the global data that the city handled in the late 2024 (15.5 million). In 2023 the observatori of tourism spoke of 15.6 million of visitors, balance that rose to 25.9 million if the region was taken into account, not just the city. The report It is interesting in any case because it provides clues about other destinations and connects with a feeling that has been breathed for years in Barcelona: The discomfort from the neighbors for the tourist. The pressure on residents. In his report, Nomad has done something else: calculating the “pressure” that tourism exerts on the local population of each of the destinations. To do this he crossed the flow of tourists from each city and its census. The most bulky data is taken in that case Orlando, with 241 tourists for each resident. They are followed by Santorini (220), Queenstow (116), Mykonos (105) and Cozumel (94). Barcelona occupies the 24th place of the international list, with an average of 13 visitors per local, a result slightly lower than that of Mallorca (20). If both metrics are mixed, the surface, total register of neighbors and influx of tourists, the first in the list is Cancun, followed by Orlando, Dubrovnik, Kyoto, Florence and witches. Barcelona is in tenth place and Mallorca in the 32nd. Of the imforms to the streets. The study is interesting because it gives a measure of the pressure that great destinations support, including Barcelona or Mallorca, a phenomenon that has caused resident mobilizations that claim a more sustainable tourist model. The Protest with guns Water was surely the most media, but not the only one: in Barcelona (as in other locations) the neighbors have taken to the streets to show their rejection of massification or demand a greater access to housing, a market conditioned for tourist pressure. The risk: die of success. Saturation supposes something else: a threat to the quality and future of its own destination. The “No List 2025” of Fodor´s, one of the most solera guides among the Anglo -Saxon travelers already has proposed To their readers who “reconside” spend their vacation in three emblematic destinations in Spain that face the risk of dying of success or are directly saturated. Which is it? Canary Islands, Mallorca … and Barcelona, ​​who share a list with international destinations such as Bali, Venice, Lisbon, Koh Samui (Thailand) or Agrigento (Sicily). It is not that they have asked for charm, but about the consequences that tourist success is having in the functioning of cities. Image | Sung Shin In Xataka | The tourism paradox in Spain: if you have not reserved your vacation in the Canary Islands, it is possible that the same thing costs to go to the Caribbean

take the sea to its interior cities

by

China has been paid for a long time Megaconstructions. Some of the most important projects in recent years have had China as the main country. Your approach differs from the Torres Carrera that we see between Saudi Arabia and Arab Emirates: Chinese works are looking to unite the territory with huge bridges either impossible tunnels. Within that ambition are channels such as Pinglu that They look take the sea to the interior cities. And everything is part of China’s strategy to master the world market. Pinglu channel. After years of planning, in 2023 the works of this channel located in the Guangxi region began that will connect the Yu interior river with the Gulf of Tonkin, located in the controversial and transcendental sea of ​​southern China. It will be key to the transport of goods, since the channel will save 560 kilometers away that must be traveled by roads. The channel is expected to be able to start moving merchandise in December of 2026 and the cost of the project points to be about 9.3 billion euros. And all the figures surrounding the project are rimbombantes. Colossal. Pinglu’s is the First big channel built in China from the Foundation of the Popular Republic and talk about channels such as Panamaa vital point for worldwide tradeeither The future Sena-NorteIt implies talking about elements that are authentic wonders of hydraulic engineering, as well as capital importance in globalization. He Pinglu channel It will be ambitious in the length that will cover, 134 kilometers, but also for its role in China’s strategy. Ships with up to 5,000 tons of dead weight and dimensions of 90 meters of length, 15.8 manga and five draft are expected. Your system will be based in two locks 300 meters long and 34 wide that will allow to exceed unevenness up to 65 meters. Beyond saving the unevenness, these locks are being built so that they operate quickly, opening and closing in a short time to expedite the paths. Mass work in record time. Of those 134 kilometers long, just 6.5 kilometers are new, but for the rest they have had to adapt the rivers to accommodate the ships. To do this, more than 50 million cubic meters of material have been moved and the total excavation is expected to be more than 339 million cubic meters. This is more than three times the volume of the Monumental dam of the three throats. Beyond the technology that the locks are being equipped, a concrete mixture designed for Resist marine water erosion For more than 100 years, minimizing maintenance. And if it begins to operate in 2026, as planned, there will barely seven years since the firm approach of the work began and three since it began to be built. Controversies. Moving that amount of land and doing it in certain areas close to the rivers has a problem: the ecosystem of some species may be endangered. Environmental concerns revolve around this, since the works are carried out very close to mangroves, which could be seen affected for the works. Strategic trade. However, 5,000 -ton ships are considerably smaller than others that cross the Panama Canal and that of Suez (which can exceed 65,000 tons), but the idea is that these ships arrive from the interior areas to the marine ports and, from there, follow their destination as part of the great dream of Xi Jinping: the New Silk Route. Because the Pinglu channel is closely linked to this new commercial corridor and connect the western interior and southwest China with international markets is a very important part of this strategy of the country to strengthen and diversify the export and import routes of the country to the rest of Asia, Africa and above all, Europe. Hopes. Apart from that improvement in the commercial connection, China expects the pinglu channel Reduce transport costs. A ship is considerably cheaper than other media such as trucks, trains and airplanes, so they expect saving of about 725 million dollars annually. In addition, it will contribute to decongesting traffic in the region, a problem that the country suffers in its most industrial areas. In addition, although the project is mainly for transport, wait to bring improvements in water management for irrigation, but also serve as a measure of avoiding floods in the area. Beyond pinglu. As dizziness that are their figures and the short deadlines that they handle to lift pharaonic works, Pinglu’s is just one more piece in the China Geopolitical and Commercial Board. Because the country has plans for other international corridors, such as Kra in Thailand to avoid the Malaca Strait, which is another key point of the new silk route, but also more modest interior channels. For example, that of Zhejiang-Jiangxi-Guangdong, that of Jinghan or Xianggui to unite on these river highways interior regions and promote trade, as well as industries such as steel while reduce contamination of conventional road transport. And it is all of an ambitious strategy of China for promoting trade inside and outside its region and, therefore, with the objective of increase its importance in the market and global policy. Images | Guangxi Zhuang Transportation Department In Xataka | China has been building a megapuerto in Peru for eight years. It has just been released to revolutionize South America

make cities a good place to live

by

When Daniel Knowles He began writing his book about the car industry, the world had been silent. Millions of people were locked at home, unemployment rates shot up, the streets cleared and wild animals returned to the desert center of the cities. The situation was so new that it could be dream that so much pain, death and uncertainty was going to open the door to a new world. It did not spend much time until we discovered that ‘dreaming’ was the key, which was nothing more than a ground. Two years later, while Knowles ended the book (‘Carmageddon‘, Captain Swing, 2025), “The world economy was booming, traffic had returned to the previous levels of pandemic and oil had prices (maximums) that were not seen in a decade. There were no other futures to fight for? A turning point. If two or three years ago, this correspondent of The Economist thought that we lived a turning point, it seems a good idea to return to their ideas to solve the cities crisis: that moment of change has only lengthened. But … what cities crisis? We can be living A world demographic crisisYeah; But the urban population is growing forced marches: in 2007, half of humanity already lived in cities for the first time. Now we are 55% and will reach 66% before 2050. What crisis is this? Well, As Rodríguez Seijo said right herea much more sibyline suris: than urban ecosystems “have become large centers of resource consumption, and in production areas and emission of potentially polluting substances.” And yes, it is true, “since 2000, one of the main pollutants in urban environments, the lead of gasoline, old housing paints or pipes” has been eliminated or reduced; However, “there are many organic and inorganic pollutants that continue to cause different health problems and that cause millions of deaths a year.” That is the true crisis. A crisis of at least seven million deaths a year. That was what the poor air quality, driven by the transport industry, caused In urban environments only in 2012. Hence, specialists like Knowles argue that “the expansion of the car has gone too far and must be stopped.” Freen it? Can we stop it? Rodríguez Seijo, Reflecting on the causes that “cities are killing us”he concluded that “the absence of planning” is one “of the great challenges facing urban populations.” That’s where Knowles ideas shine more. “I believe, without any doubt, that a largely populated city is the best place to live in most cases both for my own good and for that of the planet,” The journalist concluded After visiting more than half a dozen countries. Moreover, “there is no good reason for the sustainable option – living in an apartment or in a good -sized attached house in a neighborhood that can walk, bike and use public transport to move – it has to be so expensive and, on the contrary, live in a huge single -family house and use huge amounts of natural resources is the cheapest option.” This sounds a bit difficult to implement. And Knowles agree. In fact, as repeatedly defends, we do not have to reproduce Tokyo on each part of the planet. “Nor do we have to start to pieces the highways or impose draconian norms such as the Singapore enrollment lottery.” Even so, there is one thing that can be done to get cities Be healthier sites to live: Reorient the incentives towards the purpose they should have. There are hundreds of ideas. French taxes on cars according to weight, the Dutch reform to give priority to pedestrians or london congestion rates. It is definitely to realize that people take centuries Trying to go to live to the cities; that, in fact, they are doing it faster and faster; And that, surely the measure with a more transformative impact today would be to turn those cities into good places to live. Image | Chris Czermak | Yeh Xintong In Xataka | The cities with skyscrapers are not the panacea. They contaminate more than those of middle heights (such as Paris)

The most “walkable” cities in the world, gathered on a map with an overwhelming winner: Europe

by

Little by little, Europe has been expelling the car. It’s something that goes beyond low emissions areas: It’s almost cultural. The cities of the continent were designed tailored to the pedestrians in which the cobbled streets and the squares were usual and, although they have given way to the roads, that pedestrianization is coming back. And show that pedestrian power is this map elaborated by Visual Capitalist in which we see the 20 most passable cities in the world on foot. Spoiler: The 20 are European. The map. The data to prepare the map have been extracted from the study ‘A universal frame for inclusive cities of 15 minutes‘and the graph of The Economist And it allows us to visualize the average time that someone living in a city of 500,000 inhabitants or more has to walk to reach some basic service. These services or comforts include places such as schools, restaurants, stores or hospitals and, although cities must be scored to choose an order, the truth is that the average time is very, very similar among them. Average time. Thus, of the 20 most pedestrian or more passable cities on foot in the world, the first would be Milan (with an ideal center to walk, everything is said) and the last one would be Oslo. Of course, as we can see in the table that we leave below, the difference between them is not a nonsense: Milan 6 minutes and 24 seconds Copenhagen 6 minutes and 36 seconds Turin 7 minutes and 6 seconds Dublin 7 minutes and 24 seconds Lyon 7 minutes and 24 seconds Munich 7 minutes and 30 seconds Paris 8 minutes Marseilles 8 minutes and 6 seconds Genoa 8 minutes and 6 seconds Edinburgh 8 minutes and 12 seconds Berlin 8 minutes and 12 seconds Vienna 8 minutes and 18 seconds St. Petersburg 8 minutes and 18 seconds Bilbao 8 minutes and 24 seconds Bordeaux 8 minutes and 30 seconds MINSK 8 minutes and 36 seconds Stuttgart 9 minutes and 6 seconds Lille 9 minutes and 6 seconds Barcelona 9 minutes and 12 seconds Oslo 9 minutes and 30 seconds Characteristics. The European advantage over other countries and the characteristics that make cities more friendly to pedestrians are diverse. On the one hand, these big cities usually have historical centers that have been pedestrianizing or that were already. There are many examples, but cities like Amsterdam or Paris, among many others, They have gained ground to the car In recent years with more pedestrian areas of both the center and the school streets. Another important factor is that many of them were founded before the arrival of the car, so they were designed to reach everywhere. That is why there is a greater proximity to essential services and there is a green infrastructure such as squares, gardens and parks that are also inciting, in addition, to walk. On the other hand, public transport is also very developed, reducing the dependence of the private car. Advantages. There are many, but we can encompass them in one: health. Walking more and taking less the car implies that air quality improves because there is less pollution. Noise is also reduced, although these two factors are something that the electric car has potential to change. Having a more active lifestyle, it has positive consequences on health and the cardiovascular system and is something that promotes community life. Projects. All this has led to the fact that, as we say, Europe is friendly with the pedestrian, there are cities that are rethinking their urban model. In Spain, there are cities like Logroño that They have gained space to the car. Pontevedra is Another curious casewith 80,000 vehicles in the center in the late 90s only 7,000 in 2018. The idea is to have “15 minutes cities”And, although in Spain we already live in them, there are projects for large cities to be even more friendly. An example is the Supermanzanas of Barcelonahe XPANDE project of Burgos to convert 23,000 square meters into pedestrian areas, the regeneration of Bilbao, Valencia either Sevilleamong other large and small throughout the territory. Out of Europe? And, in fact, it is something that has been encouraged at European level. He WALKING PANEUROPE PLANor European Walking Plan, was an initiative to promote that pedestrian mobility throughout Europe, driven by common policies and focused on improving health. Outside Europe, then … there is everything. To find the first most passable city on the list, you would have to go down to 28th place, where Kyoto is. And, within the top 50, there are other cities that are not European such as Taipei, Katmandú, Taichung or Tokyo, all in the lowest part of the list. USA, Cochista region. On the other side of the end is North America. The United States and Canada are countries that have developed cities in a completely opposite way to European: prioritizing the use of the private car. The first on the list is Vancouver in 53 position and it is something that will be difficult to change despite the projects individuals of each city. The reason is that it is something cultural due to the urban design of its large cities, where suburban areas are They expanded big before and after Second World War and where the highways They won the ground to the neighborhoods very quickly, destroying communities and that model of “cities of 15 minutes”. Cities like Houston or Los Angeles They could not sustain themselves without the car, in fact. In the end, it is curious as, at least in Europe, the cities of the future seem to look at the past to recover a healthier and closest urban model. In Xataka | High speed lanes for pedestrians, the solution for all those who hate the slow sidewalks

Tomtom has studied cities with the worst traffic jams and in Spain there is a surprising own name: Valencia

by

In many cities, life is what happens between Atasco and traffic jam. It is an evil with which you have to live in the big cities: a great offer, but also a high car mobility that generates those jams. And the big problem is not that traffic jams stole time, but They take money from us. How long do we lose the Spaniards in traffic jams and what are the most angry cities? The annual ranking elaborated By Tomtom he has the answer and Barcelona does not surprise anyone as the most stuck city in Spain. What is a surprise Optra City of the Mediterranean: Valencia. The analysis. First of all, it must be said that Tomtom, one of GPS navigation specialists, has published his ranking for almost 15 years. In it, we can see worldwide circulation data that includes 500 cities of six continents and more than 737,000 million kilometers traveled by cars are taken into account. Important: the data They correspond to the paths in 2024 of the cars that incorporate their GPS technology in one way or another, so, although it is representative due to the popularity of the brand, the minutes may vary with respect to other analysis. That said, the ranking of Spanish cities with more jams is as follows: Time Lost in Transcos per year Average time to make 10 km Barcelona 87 hours 31 ‘, 13’ ‘ Madrid 64 hours 24 ‘, 44’ ‘ Valencia 62 hours 26 ‘, 18’ ‘ Valladolid 54 hours 20 ‘, 5’ ‘ Seville 54 hours 21 ‘, 46’ ‘ Palma de Mallorca 49 hours 17 ‘, 5’ ‘ Malaga 45 hours 20 ‘, 7’ ‘ Las Palmas 44 hours 18 ‘, 50’ ‘ Vitoria-Gasteiz 44 hours 22 ‘, 54’ ‘ Murcia 43 hours 17 ‘, 16’ ‘ Grenade 43 hours 17 ‘, 49’ ‘ Santa Cruz de Tenerife 42 hours 17 ‘, 5’ ‘ La Coruña 40 hours 19 ‘, 26’ ‘ Pamplona 40 hours 21 ‘, 52’ ‘ Saragossa 37 hours 21 ‘, 5’ ‘ Alicante 37 hours 20 ‘, 16’ ‘ Vigo 37 hours 20 ‘, 53’ ‘ Gijón 36 hours 21 ‘, 53’ ‘ Cartagena 35 hours 19 ‘, 45’ ‘ Santander 35 hours 18 ‘, 44’ ‘ Oviedo 33 hours 16 ‘, 42’ ‘ San Sebastián 28 hours 16 ‘, 10’ ‘ Cordova 27 hours 16 ‘, 54’ ‘ Cádiz 26 hours 17 ‘, 13’ ‘ Bilbao 24 hours 16 ‘, 48’ ‘ Top 3. Something interesting is that, above and we take the indicator we take as a reference, the photo does not change too much. That is, if we apply the medium time filter through a 10 -kilometer route, Barcelona, ​​Valencia and Madrid are the first three, in that order. If we apply the lost hours every year, the thing changes a bit with Barcelona first and, far from the Catalan city, Madrid and Valencia, much more couples among them. vs 2023. There are other indices that we can play with, such as the level of congestion (being, again, Barcelona that rises with first position) and the one that can be more interesting: the change in second time by traveling 10 kilometers between 2023 and 2024. Many cities go that time (30 seconds less in Zaragoza or Valladolid, 10 seconds in Murcia, Granada, Málaga or Madrid), but in others, that time increases. The palm is taken by Barcelona (50 more seconds in the average compared to 2023) and Valencia (40 seconds). In this sense, we might think that Dana I could have a role in statistics. More affected the surrounding areas and municipalities, but also In important roads and Valencian ringings, such as the V-30 surrounding the capital. Kilometers of withholdings were generated that could have negatively affected this ranking and we will have to wait for the 2025 version to see if the times are consolidated or, as we comment, they are the result of an unfortunate event. Not far from neighbors. Ok, but … what happens to the rest of Europe? Well, everything depends on the indicator we take. According to Tomtom, Dublin data with 155 hours, Bucharest with 150 and Brussels with 118 hours are the ones that make their drivers losing the longest. If we apply the average time in traveling 10 kilometers, the thing changes. London is the one that takes the palm with 33 minutes and 17 seconds, Dublin the second with 32 minutes and 45 seconds and Barcelona the third with 31 minutes and 13 seconds on average. Urban tolls. As we say, we must bear in mind that these are data obtained based on the time of devices and Tomtom software, so the photo can vary a bit if other indicators are taken into account. And the big question is … Is there a solution to the traffic jams in the big cities? There are those who think they have the answer. New York was in 2023 a hell, but in two weeks and applying an urban toll for driving through the center, The situation changed radically. With tolls of almost 14 euros for driving, the effects soon made note. According to the City Councilthe average travel in the area affected by the toll were made to an average about 11.4 km/h. They ensure, however, that the speed in the entrance bridges to the city have increased between 30 and 40%. In London this measure It was also applied A while ago, reducing rolled traffic in 30% In some areas, but as demonstrated by Tomtom, the British city remains a monster colossal dominated by traffic. We will see how the photo of the Spanish cities is in 2025 and, above all, what happens to cases such as Barcelona and the Valencian, which is the one that really surprises in the Tomtom table. And, beyond Tomtom’s numbers, as a curiosity for interactive map lovers, the DGT has one in which, in real time, we can see the Status of Spanish Roads. Image | … Read more

We already know how big the hole that Ryanair will leave in the small cities of Spain will leave: 640,000 squares

by

He will leave Jerez and Valladolid. And will drastically reduce its operations in Vigo. It will also offer less flights at the airports of Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander. That is Ryanair’s decision made In response to AENA rates that consider excessive and the lack of incentives to maintain airlines. In total, it is estimated that 643,000 seats will be lost With the departure of the company Low-Cost of these airports or the reduction of their activity from this summer. The company’s numbers point to a reduction in the offer of 800,000 places But a small part of these seats will be compensated with the arrival of other airlines or the increase in their activity. Incentives and rates in the center of the conflict With Ryanair’s departure, it is also confirmed that it is the minor airports that more will suffer from summer. Valladolid is undoubtedly the city that in relative terms more passengers loses. This summer will have 96,000 seats less. It will go from the 154,000 seats offered in 2024 to just 60,000 places, which represents a reduction of 61%. However, in absolute terms, Santiago de Compostela airport is the one that will lose the most passengers from all over Spain. Next summer will have 334,000 less places, which is a reduction of 11.4% compared to last year’s programming. A blow to a city that has in the summer a wave of tourism arrived from the Camino de Santiago. Among the most affected airports, Zaragoza is another of the places where its departure will most be noticed, losing 113,000 seats that represent 18.5% of the operations. Santander, with 88,000 lost places, will lose 10% of its passenger volume compared to last year. Jerez will stay at 7%, with 52,400 places offered less. Other airports, however, manage to hold the stick that supposes the exit of the Irish company. Vigo, where Ryanair announced a reduction of 61% of its operations, will grow and offer this summer 64,700 seats more than in 2024, 8.8% higher than last year. Asturias will not run so much luck but cushion the impact with a reduction in the volume of travelers that is barely reflected in a 1.8% decrease (27,000 places less). In general terms, AENA will lose 643,000 places offered with the departure of Ryanair from some of its airports and the descent of its operations. An output that occurs after the company indicated AENA’s rates as abusive and incentives to operate in small insufficient airports. For their part, in Aena they have seen this movement as blackmail, according to Five days. Although in recent days the Irish company has generated even more noise with an aggressive advertising campaign in which Call “clown” to Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumptionusing the fine receivable in the cabin As a claim, it was the operating rates in AENA and the lack of incentives in small airports that motivated the exit of these places. The rates charged by Aena are designed to guarantee the proper functioning of an airport, is the price to be paid for a company to provide the security or cleaning service, among others. On average, Companies pay 10.35 euros per passenger in Spain But in smaller airports they barely reach two or three euros because some incentives are applied to operate in these lines. For example, 100% of the rate of reduced mobility travelers or 100% of the safety rate is reimbursed, to make these spaces more attractive from the big cities. Decisions that are not enough for Ryanair who ask “A substantial reduction” Of the same or that, even, “if there is a regional airport with 500,000 passengers, which is given a discount to all the 50% airlines on the existing traffic and free for the next 50,000 passengers”, in the words of Eddie Wilson , CEO of Ryanair, during an interview with Five days. What Wilson does not do in that interview is one of the economic incentives from low -cost airlines that provide services at these airports and receive subsidies from institutions in the form of advertising to maintain their flights. They are contracts that, with its departure, the airline is breaking and that allowed, for example, that In Vigo a fluid line was maintained with London airport. Photo | Marty Sakin In Xataka | Ryanair’s breakdown is a warning for world tourism: plane tickets are very expensive

New York has gone from being one of the most clogged cities to a car-free “sanctuary.” Your recipe: $15

by

These days we have seen images of New York that seem taken from postapocalyptic movies as ‘I am Legend‘ or ’28 days later’. The streets in some areas of the ‘Big Apple’ have emptied during rush hours, and The person responsible has been… a toll. In no city in the world is so much time wasted in the car like in New Yorkwhich costs not only time, but also money. Specifically, the city estimates that the 700,000 vehicles that move through the southern part of Manhattan every day and get stuck represent a loss of 20 billion dollars in productivity. A nonsense, no matter how you look at it. The authorities know that this is a problem and have been trying to tackle it for some time. As? Through a toll. The measure, which should have been applied last summercame into operation on January 5 and delimits an area of ​​Manhattan named ‘Congestion Relief Zone’. If you want to access with a vehicle, it will cost you up to $14.50, a price that depends on whether it is a car or a motorcycle. If it’s a truck, it shoots up to $30. From Central Park to the southern peak of the island. The area is not small, precisely This price also depends on the time, but the consequence has been devastating: practically empty streets (at least by the standards of the city that never sleeps) when before they would have been full. And, apart from ending traffic jams and noise pollution, studies suggest that residents will also gain in health. Less cars, more health It seems obvious that, if the use of private transport is discouraged in favor of buses or the subway, there will be less pollution in the streets due to a reduction in pollution. The effects of the toll have not taken long to be noticed, with media such as Financial Times noting that the speed of access to Manhattan from New Jersey has nearly doubled. And leaving Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge has also gone from being a journey at an average speed of 20 km/h one at 37 km/h. There are points, such as the congested Holland Bridge, that have reduced traffic by 63%, while the use of public transport has increased by 14% in certain cases. In short: the City Council esteem Traffic in the limited area is 8% lower than at the same time last year, which means 219,000 fewer vehicles. As we say, also, less pollution. Or so it is expected. An environmental study published in 2023 estimated the impact that tolls would have on air pollution. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other chemical particles linked to respiratory problems, cognitive decline and heart disease would see their numbers reduced, as would greenhouse gases. He studyas we read in Gristwas carried out on a regional level, covering 12 counties in New York and New Jersey, as well as a projection to 2045. In it, it was determined that Manhattan would experience a 4.36% reduction in kilometers traveled daily by vehicles in 2045, which would result in a 10.72% decrease in CO₂ for that year in the business district, where the toll has been applied. Carbon monoxide levels would fall by 6.55% and nitrogen oxide levels would also fall by 5.89%. Without a doubt, these are good figures in the short and medium term that can not only contribute significantly to the health of the population, but also to the planet, but it should be noted that the study simply estimated the impact of measures such as tolls. To see real results, it will be necessary to measure the levels of particles and pollutants from now on and draw a comparison with previous levels. Andy Darrell is the New York regional director at the Environmental Defense Fund and commented that “the most important thing is to get started,” but we will see if there is time for those effects to be noticed. The reason is that the viability of the project is in doubtwith Manhattan residents filing a class action lawsuit against the plan, a Donald Trump who is not in favor of the work of these traffic-free preserves and politicians against the toll, both Democrats and Republicans. Images | MTA, MTA YouTube In Xataka | New York has transformed its school buses into mini power plants to cover peak demand

More and more cities are saying goodbye to horse-drawn carriages for tourists. Málaga has decided that this will be its last year

by

Malaga no longer wants horse carriages. That its City Council does not feel comfortable with the tourist buggies that still roll through the city is something known and that its mayor, Francisco de la Torre, recognized no holds barred in summer. What the coachmen who continue to exploit the 25 current carriage licenses probably did not imagine is the extent to which the Consistory is in a hurry to say goodbye to them. A few days ago De la Torre announced that his goal is to eliminate all cars this same yearwhich would bring forward the end of the concessions by a decade. Surprise to start 2025. 2025 has started with a surprise in the capital of the Costa del Sol. A few days ago, during the Debate on the State of the Cityits mayor announced that he wants this to be the last year in which horse-drawn tourist buggies roll through the municipality. And it was not limited to expressing a wish or a simple declaration of intentions. De la Torre revealed that the City Council is already negotiating with the coachmen who remain in the city. What exactly did he say? His speech It can be consulted in full on the Consistory’s website. And it’s pretty clear. “We have set ourselves the goal of completing the amortization of the licenses for the horse-drawn passenger transport service this year,” he says. the document. “There are 25 left and we are in talks with the owners to compensate them, since their concessions have almost 11 years of life left.” Animal welfare and image. The councilor goes further and give the reasons why the City Council wants to dispense with a service that, in reality, has been losing weight in the city over time. “We take this step thinking about the well-being of animals and the image that the city offers to the world. In 2025 there are much more efficient and respectful ways to move.” In case there were any doubts, De la Torre remembered that Málaga is already working on an electric bike loan service to reach 1,000 and more than 100 stations. “The sooner the better”. The important thing in the councilor’s announcement is not so much the substance as the tempo. That horse-drawn carriages have their days numbered in Malaga is actually nothing new. In 2018 elDiario.es published a report about the precariousness of stables, animals and workers, in 2023 Ciudadanos (C’s) presented a motion to eliminate the service and just five months ago, during an interview With the Efe agency, De la Torre himself admitted that the idea was to put an end to the carriages “the sooner the better.” The key: when. Although that was the slogan (eliminate the service as soon as possible), the reality is that the coachmen who continue to work in Malaga do so thanks to licenses that still have years of validity left. In 2015 An ordinance was approved that contemplated that the permits would remain in force for two decades, meaning that they would not expire until 2035. However, De la Torre assured in August that he had encountered “a certain receptivity” among the drivers to reach a consensus. The question remained as to how on track the talks were and, above all, when the buggies could be removed from the streets of Malaga. The surprise came when a few days ago the councilor revealed that the City Council intends for the service to be abolished now this yeara decade before licenses expire. And under what conditions? That is the great unknown. in summer the mayor I remembered that the 2015 regulation was accompanied by a plan to rescue concessions. And it doesn’t seem to have gone badly for him. If in their day they operated in Malaga 60 licenses and a decade ago there were 55 in force, today their number has been reduced considerably to remain at 25. The average price of the rescues has been around 35,000 euros, according to the data managed by Efe. Going into detail. Media like ABC, SOUTH DIARY and Digital Freedom They say that a payment of 120,000 euros per license would be on the table. ABC even precise that the sum would be paid in two payments of 60,000. The professionals who exploit these 25 licenses and have responded to the press recognize However, there is something that worries them as much or more than compensation: their future work. “I’ve been here since I was born, since 1998. I’m already 45 years old. Where are they going to want me?” he wonders one of those affected by the suppression of the service who also works with a license of which he is not the direct holder, as frequently happens in taxis. “I leave with one hand in front and one behind.” The mayor already has shown willingness to offer coachmen a training plan to find employment. Crossover of arguments. The debate about the continuity (or not) of horse carriages is more complex. In fact, there are a good handful of arguments both for and against. Their supporters allege that there are dozens of families who live off the service, the horses are “well cared for” and they wonder what will happen to them once the service is discontinued. “What’s going to happen to them? They’re going to the slaughterhouse.” Among the detractors, it is questioned the conditions in which the horses work or the image that the city conveys by maintaining the service and they argue, as De la Torre mentioned in his speech, that there are alternatives “more respectful” so that visitors get to know the urban area. To all this would be added a strictly practical matter: the high cost of cleaning and maintaining the streets, whose pavement ends up deteriorating due to horseshoes. Losing ground. Whether you share one position or another, the truth is that horse-drawn carriages have been losing space in the capital of the Costa del Sol. SOUTH DIARY remember that a few … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.