The Delegate for Environment, Carmen Pozo, has lamented the criticisms from Ecologists in Action regarding municipal management of urban mobility, particularly concerning the announcement of Car-Free Day. Pozo stated that the City Council has always supported the European Mobility Week, but this year the environmental group did not request the council's participation.
Pozo explained that the Municipal Government facilitates the organization of Car-Free Day by providing the Local Police with extraordinary services. Addressing criticisms about the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), the councilor urged Ecologists in Action to "have more rigor in their statements," asserting that the City Council is not failing on this issue, but rather the opposition is. She detailed that the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) document, which included measures near Plaza de la Paz and its pedestrianization, was voted against by PP, PSOE, and Vox in the Plenary session, without the environmental group issuing any criticism at the time.
The delegate insisted on the need for "more rigor" from Ecologists in Action, pointing out that the SUMP was not approved in March 2023 and that a technical meeting was held in November of that year to incorporate proposals from the mayor, such as the LEZ near Plaza de la Paz and its pedestrianization. She recalled that there was citizen participation in the SUMP's development and highlighted that Sanlúcar is not the only Andalusian city without a LEZ, noting that only 12 municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants have one.
Pozo listed "numerous measures" adopted by the Government of Mayor Carmen Álvarez, including the purchase of the first hybrid urban bus in January 2024, the pedestrianization of Plaza de la Paz, the expansion of sidewalks, the incorporation of single-platform streets, tree planting, and the enhancement of green spaces like Parque Mirador de Doñana and Parque del Espíritu Santo. She also mentioned accepting the request not to install artificial turf on the median of Avenida de la Manzanilla, lamenting that Ecologists in Action "strangely have never publicly valued" these actions.
Furthermore, she recalled the Sanlúcar City Council's membership in the Platform for the Northwest Coast Train and the meetings convened by Mayor Carmen Álvarez with other mayors in the region to promote this demand. Finally, she urged Ecologists in Action to "abandon unfounded criticism" and join the local Government's efforts to promote sustainable urban and interurban mobility in Sanlúcar.
