The Valencia technology park, located in Paterna, a few minutes from the capital, is home to more than 600 companies and more than 16,000 workers visit it daily. But there are only two ways to access it: by own vehicle or on the three bus lines, one of which is a shuttle. In fact, one of them connects the park with Mas Camarena, the neighboring urbanization of Bétera.
That is why an online survey has been launched to the employees who access their surroundings every day, and also to the residents of this urbanization – one of the ones with the highest purchasing power in Valencia – to find out their opinion on the proposal to extend tram line L4 – which currently ends in Mas del Rosari – to connect the technology park and Mas Camarena with Burjassot, the campus of the Universitat de València (UV) and the city of València.
Until yesterday and since Monday, its Management and Modernization Entity (EGM) had collected 4,132 responses, a “massive” participation, according to the entity, for whom this result underlines “the interest and need” of users to have better public transportation options.
“The mobility parameters of industrial areas are not the same as before, back then we did not have any public transportation,” explains Manuela Pedraza, manager of the EGM. She details that the three bus lines, 130, 144 and 131, fall short to cover the high demand, which “is quite a lot during peak hours, but we need other mobility. The Ministry is considering creating a fast track on the Ademuz track, but the demand is to get the tram to the park,” she adds.
The initiative is part of the EGM mobility plan and responds to what Pedraza describes as a “historic demand” from the users of the business park, with the aim of offering sustainable public transport alternatives and reducing excessive dependence on the use of private vehicles. . Traffic jams at peak hours entering and exiting the park, recently classified as an advanced industrial area, are common, as a report from the same entity prepared in 2019 already demonstrated: between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. the flow can be up to 7,000 vehicles.
Heron City would also be interested in the expansion that they will request from the Department of Environment, Water, Infrastructure and Territory of the Generalitat Valenciana to consider as a “priority line of action”, confirms Pedraza, as this leisure and restaurant complex is very close to the business park.
The park recently activated an eight-month shared electric scooter service pilot project, offering 40 Bolt electric scooters with an additional 20 in reserve for internal travel by workers and customers.
The initiative has been the result of a collaboration between the EGM Parc Tecnològic Paterna, the Paterna City Council, and the companies Bolt, Movea Consulting and Smobery from Itera, as well as the Energy Technology Institute (ITE).
