The Municipality of Budva will have to reconsider its decision to introduce a complete traffic ban in the contact zone of the Old Town and abolish two parking lots near the Port Authority and at the old bus station used by residents of the oldest part of Budva.
This is the position of the Budva Catering Association, which held a meeting the day before last night regarding Budva's intention to introduce new rules ahead of and during the season.
"A compromise needs to be reached, because introducing a complete traffic ban is unfeasible. Namely, it must be ensured that vehicles for supplying catering, commercial and other facilities in the Old Town are allowed to pass at certain time intervals, because a complete ban and the announcement of the introduction of electric vehicles make it impossible to ensure the operation of the economy," the caterers pointed out.
Also, the Municipality will have to reconsider the decision to abolish two key parking lots in the contact zone.
"Residents of the Old Town should be allowed to park their vehicles at the Port Authority and at the old bus station," was one of the conclusions of the meeting.
Restaurant owners agree that parking should be banned on the waterfront by the marina and along the ramparts, and that they support the Municipality's decision.
The clear conclusions of the Association of Catering Industry will be submitted to the Municipality of Budva at the beginning of next week, when the Association will also state the Municipality's intention to make the Old Town a quiet zone this summer, without noise, and that any violation will be strictly punished.
President of the Municipality Nikola Jovanovic announced last week that the local government would introduce "clear rules of the game" that would have to be respected this summer.
Jovanović said that the problems from previous seasons will be overcome.
"The contact zone of the Old Town has had certain problems during previous seasons, such as noise and traffic. You know the position of the local government and previous decisions of the Municipal Assembly that the area of the Old Town has been declared a quiet acoustic zone, and on this occasion I can say that there will be no compromise with that. The Old Town will be a quiet zone prohibited from playing music or making noise, so the local government, in cooperation with local services, will fully respect that decision, but will also impose sanctions on the ground against those who turn a deaf ear and make noise," stressed Jovanović.
He announced a complete ban on the movement of motor vehicles and motorcyclists in the contact zone of the Old Town.
"No vehicles will be allowed there anymore. We will declare the Old Town area a pedestrian zone, by removing the existing traffic ramp near the kindergarten and replacing it with submersible bollards, which will allow vehicles of the relevant state authorities to pass in the event of an intervention. Other vehicles, including delivery vehicles, will no longer be able to be present in the Old Town area. These are also preparatory activities for the construction of the promenade. The public is informed that we received a conceptual design for the construction of the promenade through an international competition, that we are well into the activities for the development of the main project and we want to prepare at that location for what is inevitable in the coming years, which is the construction of a promenade from the Old Town to Zavala, or Bečići, and after that the second phase of the reconstruction of the Bečići promenade. The promenade should be there this year as well, it should be used for its intended purpose, which is to be a pedestrian zone without the presence of any cars," said Jovanović.
He emphasized that there will no longer be parking at the Port Authority, that vehicles will no longer be able to park along the marina, or at the old bus stop.
"Parking space for vehicles owned by the residents of the Old Town will be provided in one of the existing parking lots. Parking will be provided completely free of charge for residents of the Old Town under certain prescribed conditions, and this is proof of ownership of the property. We believe that in this way we will increase the safety of our tourists because space will be freed up in the contact zone for walking activities, for easier maintenance of communal order," said Jovanović.
He announced that the local government would find additional parking spaces for that part of the city.
"We have entered into discussions with potential lessors in the city center. We will rent certain parking spaces and thus increase our capacity by an additional 200 to 300 parking spaces, which will significantly help us in the upcoming and subsequent tourist seasons, until the construction of garages in the city center begins. The city will provide a location for parking tourist buses," concluded Jovanović.
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