Alcoy has established a smart loading and unloading pilot project at the Rodes Urban Technology Park. The City Council’s Urban Sandbox created this first international project in conjunction with the Dutch startup Coding the Curbs, a European leader in digital urban road space management. This programme, which is free of charge to the city council, is being developed by the company with a Dutch government grant.

In addition, four parking places for people with limited mobility have been fitted with sensors, two on Calle Sant Antoni and two on Calle Sant Joan, to collect real-time data on usage patterns and peak demand. This programme will enable the City Council to make data-driven decisions on accessibility and parking policies.

The pilot will operate until January 2026. Beginning in the summer, preliminary data from the three test sites will influence conversations about potential expansions to additional places in the municipality, as well as the changes required to optimise its execution.

Digitally controlled loading and unloading

The smart loading and unloading zone is digitally managed and allows logistics and delivery businesses to reserve it via an online portal, thereby optimising the use of this type of public space. In addition, during the trial time, anyone can make a reservation to test how it works.

The technology allows customers to reserve a parking space for 30 minutes by visiting the online platform—via a website, without needing to install an app—or scanning a QR code at the place. If the spot is available, the app confirms the reservation and allows you to use it at that time.

Signage and road markers clearly identify the test sites, and IoT sensors have been integrated to offer real-time availability information. This enables drivers to schedule their deliveries ahead of time or alter their routes on the fly, resulting in increased logistical efficiency and reduced vehicle traffic congestion. The pilot test will assess both the deployed sensors and the company’s software in a real-world scenario, with the Local Police and the Alcoy City Council’s Mobility Department collaborating.

The initiative is part of Alcoy’s Local Green Deal (LGD), which encourages more sustainable urban development models. It is also the first international collaboration under the city’s Urban Sandbox policy, which focusses on experimenting in real-world settings and agile innovation to address key urban concerns.

Coding the Curbs, founded in Amsterdam in 2020 as a collaboration between The Future Mobility Network and Fronteer, has expanded its activities to cities such as Utrecht, Groningen, Rotterdam, and Copenhagen, and participates in benchmark programmess such as YES! Delft, the DMI Ecosystem of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure, and the EIT Urban Mobility network of the European Institute of Technology.

Iskandar Tange, the company’s CEO and co-founder, travelled to Alcoy recently with Jaap Tjebbes, project manager and product manager, to oversee the installation of the pilot area, which is located on Agres Street, across from the Rodes Technology Park, with municipal specialists.

Toni Francés, the mayor of Alcoy, stated that with this project, “Alcoy strengthens its commitment to open urban innovation and establishes itself as a real testing ground for technological solutions applied to the city.” We are dedicated to developing more efficient, sustainable, and accessible urban environments, and this project allows us to test and evaluate solutions that can be extended to other parts of the municipality or even reproduced in other cities.”

Benidorm Local Police detained seven persons on drug trafficking charges during an investigation at six pubs in the city’s so-called “English zone.” They discovered drugs disguised in fire extinguishers, sofa coverings, and toilet paper holders.

As part of the initiative to improve inspections of establishments in that area, six have been registered in Rincón de Loix in the previous month, with four being closed as a precautionary measure after drug quantities were discovered inside.

During this operation, the Local Police seized 200 grams of cocaine, 300 LSD and MDMA pills, 200 dosages of marijuana (THC), 20 grams of hashish, eight bottles of nitrous oxide, as well as numerous mobile phones and €3,000 in cash.

According to police spokeswoman Quique Tortosa, the recovered drugs “would have exceeded 30,000 euros on the black market.”

Modus operandi

The detainees’ tactics were remarkably similar: they buried the drugs in numerous spots across the facility. The narcotics were discovered strewn in a variety of locations, including fire extinguishers, electrical outlets, toilet paper holders, and even sofa coverings.

The seven arrested persons, who are of British, Pakistani, and Moroccan nationality, have been sent to the National Police Station so that the Drugs Unit can assess whether they will be tried in court.

During Holy Week, over 150 stalls from the hippy craft market opened their doors on Avenida de La Estación. This was their temporary location due to the beginning of renovation on Paseo de La Libertad and the port “landfill,” where they had been functioning since the 1990s.

The merchants have been operating without power since their doors opened on April 14. Those who wish to extend their workday until sundown, as shown here overlooking the Torrevieja lagoon, have secured a generator.

The City Council has recently began erecting overhead power lines at the intersection of Avenida de la Estación and Urbano Arregui, which will give energy to the region and serve as the first stretch of the street’s greenway.

In addition to these electrical projects, the City Council is working to improve pedestrian safety by altering pedestrian crossings to facilitate market access.

Most shopkeepers expressed disappointment. They are selling significantly less than they did at their previous site on Paseo de La Libertad.

The increase in attendance happened during Holy Week, despite the adverse weather, holidays, and weekends. On other days, the market is relatively quiet, with many vendors closed.

Merchants point out that the location is less awful than the one originally suggested in Antonio Soria Park. At least in this region, pedestrian access and free parking are available for individuals who park their cars in the improvised parking lot close to the Acequión Canal on their way downtown.

Moving the wooden stalls from Paseo de La Libertad to their new position cost the City Council 230,000 euros. The intention was for the merchants to have opened their new stalls by now, even if they were in a temporary location. But it was too late.