Students asked to share cars to reduce traffic jams in Benitatxell

CARSHARE schemes are being encouraged to cut traffic jams as schools reopen for the new term.
Students at the private Lady Elizabeth International School in Benitatxell, which has more than 1000 pupils and 200 staff, are being asked to share car journeys to reduce road congestion.
The local authority says traffic management collapses in the Poble Nou area when the schools return after the Summer break
Council officials are now working with the school to find a solution to the traffic jams that build up every morning at rush hour.
In August, the Councillor for Education, Jorge Pascual, and the mayor of Public Safety, María José Ivars, held a meeting with the director of the school to find a solution.
Long term plans include building three roundabouts and a parking lot on the Xàbia road.
In the short term, the school is considering staggered start times for pupils and organising groups of students who live in the same neighbourhoods to share cars and to increase the number of school buses.
Miguel Ángel García, mayor of Poble Nou de Benitatxell, assured that the council will lead the way in solving the problem but asked that residents and pupils play their part.
He said: “It is essential to carry out a global mobility plan and aim for our municipality to overcome these problems. The City Council will lead, of course, that search for solutions.
“In fact, the Provincial Council has already authorized the roundabout project that will decongest traffic.
“But it is important that everyone, including residents of areas that suffer an abnormal volume of traffic, collaborate and work together.”