Elche local government has secured 732,000 euro in European Union funding to help finance public transport, digital infrastructure and urban traffic management projects across the municipality. The funds have been channelled through the Ivace and the regional Ministry of Tourism, co-financing between 50 percent and 55 percent of the total costs across three main initiatives.
An allocation of 262,000 euro managed by Ivace will assist the local council in purchasing four new electric buses. This addition will increase the proportion of sustainable vehicles in the Elche municipal bus fleet to over 70 percent, combining electric and hybrid models.
Furthermore, 72,500 euro provided through the Ministry of Tourism will support the creation of a pilot digital study room in Altabix. The overall project cost is 150,000 euro, with the remaining half supplied by municipal funds. The location will feature tablets, laptops, energy-efficient lighting and dedicated spaces for interviews or video calls.
The largest share of the funding, totaling 400,000 euro from Ivace, is designated for the digital transformation of traffic management under the local ‘Vive Elche’ scheme. Councillor Claudio Guilabert explained that the investment will acquire approximately 50 new traffic cameras and panels to improve traffic flow, monitor vehicle profiles and gather data to manage road closures during events such as sporting competitions.
The new cameras will add to the 70 devices already located throughout the Elche municipality, ten of which are currently undergoing calibration. Data collected by the network will feed into the municipal Data Office to assist with traffic and environmental measurements. Guilabert confirmed that street display panels showing pollution levels will not be introduced for now, as air quality figures are already published on the municipal website. Cameras will also be positioned along city entry routes including Ronda Norte and Ronda Sur, as well as park and ride parking locations such as Candalix, Hort del Gat and around the Martínez Valero stadium.
