This measure, part of the recovery process following the DANA storm on October 29, 2024, primarily aims to prevent improper parking in areas such as sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, intersections, green zones, or essential access points. The council highlighted that this action addresses an exceptional situation that profoundly altered the daily lives of many families, with unusable garages and difficulties in moving around.
During this period, the City Council has acted with flexibility and has been providing real parking alternatives to support citizens. Within this framework, more than 2,700 new parking spaces have been made available to the municipality.
“"After months in which we have supported many families with understanding and flexibility, Catarroja is moving towards a new stage, and moving forward also means gradually recovering normality, order, and respect for the space we all share."
Improper parking continues to create mobility and coexistence difficulties, especially for the elderly, minors, families with strollers, and people with reduced mobility, in addition to hindering access for public and emergency services. Therefore, this new phase of 'Pla Aparca' is not merely a regulatory matter, but a commitment to continue caring for the municipality through shared responsibility and proper use of common space.
The objective is to consolidate a more friendly, accessible, and safe Catarroja, leaving behind dynamics associated with the exceptional circumstances experienced after the DANA. Data from recent months reflect the need to continue moving in this direction: during 2025, 2,741 infractions related to improper parking were registered, and in the first quarter of 2026, 586 were counted, compared to 149 registered in the same period of the previous year.
“"This is not a revenue-generating measure, but an action to care for Catarroja, protect coexistence, and reclaim public spaces for people. Because rebuilding the municipality is not just about repairing what is damaged, but also about recovering a more respectful, safer, and more inclusive way of living together."
The council has guaranteed that it will continue to enable and communicate new parking alternatives that facilitate the daily lives of citizens, while also developing informative and awareness-raising actions to support this new stage. With this new phase of 'Pla Aparca', Catarroja takes another step in its daily recovery, understanding that caring for where we park is also caring for those who walk, those who need access to a service, and those who depend on a free, safe, and accessible urban environment.
