The pedestrianization of Born, from the point of view of the restaurant

Itziar Lecea/Ciutadella - It is not too difficult to find a table at the restaurant in Cas Cònsol during the lunch hour. And not even in the early evening. Its manager, Francesc Pons, assures that the season is not going as they had hoped. Not only because it is a summer where the type of tourism has changed, but also because of the changes that the pedestrianization of Born has entailed and, especially, the removal of the bus stop in Els Pins.

However, there are consequences of these changes that are not so visible, but that are beginning to be detected.

A pedestrian Born yes. Now, not.

Francesc “Xec” from Cas Cònsol makes the same comment as many neighbors and traders about the current state of the square. “I have always said that pedestrian Es Born was an option that we all wanted, but it should have been done very differently. It should not have started in July, because it has affected business, although it is not the main reason why the season is going badly. The season is bad in terms of people. I live in Cap d’Artrutx and I see how the villas are not full. I think we should open our eyes and see what is really happening in Menorca.”

Self-reflection is an attitude that, he says, should be taken on many levels. Such as, for example, the temporary nature of the conversion of the square to pedestrians. It should be remembered that, in the previous legislature, the PSOE Ciutadella stopped the project from the members of the government team, arguing, among other things, that it was not feasible to make such a major change at the beginning of the tourist season. At that time, Pons agreed. Now, he is seeing the consequences. “They should have started in November, looked at what needed to be adjusted and had time to do it. No, overnight, change the entire direction of the square and see what happens, at the beginning of the high season.”

Lack of public transport

In the self-reflection he was commenting on, Pons points out that the tourist season is not going as they would like, but because there is also a lack of preparation, in general, as a destination. “I see Ciutadella as very abandoned. And I think the fact of removing the buses from the center has a lot to do with it. For me, for example, it has meant losing the first tables of the night market. And at noon it is very noticeable. On cloudy days, not. But when it is hot and the weather is good, leaving the car 20 minutes away to come for lunch is not considered an option. I will say that parking does not affect as much as public transport, which helped tourists arrive and spread out throughout the old town.”

Whether for one or the other, putting on or taking off the buses generates inconvenience. Thus, Pons comments that he understands that “the buses were a nuisance in the area where they passed, for the neighbors of República Argentina, for example. But a station should have been built closer. I don't know what land would be viable, but the option we have now is not a solution. Furthermore, I already mentioned in one of the last meetings we had with the mayor's office that a problem that is starting to develop is the large crowds of passengers waiting at the Platja Gran collection point. Everyone who comes from Cap d'Artrtux and the southern housing estates get off there, and I've seen 70 people there.

I think that a space should have been left for small buses to enter where the parking lot in front of Los Pins has been built. And the part that also generates a lot of confusion is the loading and unloading area, which we see as a potential danger when the school year begins.”

Points in favor of the new square

Not everything is complaints or negative points, of the conversion of Es Born to pedestrians.

“We have gained in tranquility, and a lot. We don't have traffic jams or whistles all the time. But I say that Es Born is pedestrian, yes, but not in the way it has been done. We don't have a valid and viable infrastructure to replace Es Born. They tell us that there is parking on the other side of the port, but it is not an option if you are an elderly person or a family with strollers. In addition, we have detected that there are customers who still come to the square to park because Google still marks it as a parking area”, says Pons, who points to a lack of consensus on an issue that, he assures, will affect much beyond what has been seen in this first month.