The new Citizenship and Coexistence Ordinance has already been applied since Saturday, May 27. The document has been definitively approved without any claims being received during the 30-day public exposure period. The consumption of alcohol on public roads is especially penalized with fines starting at 450 euros.
The new regulations want to respond to the new sensitivities and demands of citizens regarding behaviors that disturb the normal development of public and neighborhood coexistence, and that were not specified in the Civic Ordinance that had been in force until now.
The consumption of alcohol in public; discomfort caused by people and activities; inappropriate uses of public space; behaviors that violate the dignity of people, and damage and vandalism in public spaces are the main uncivil behaviors detected after triple analysis and participation (citizen, political and technical).
Based on this analysis, the new Ordenaça has been drawn up, which toughens the measures to put an end to boozing and inconvenience in public spaces; commitment to prevention to avoid uncivil behaviors; provides the Local Police with more instruments to prevent and punish this type of behavior if it occurs; and simplifies the regulations and puts them in line with other regulations that also affect other areas of social interaction and neighborhood such as noise, cleanliness or animal possession.
In reference to the botellón, the main innovations provided for in the new Citizenship and Coexistence Ordinance are: an increase in penalties for alcohol consumption on public roads, which are classified as serious, with a minimum penalty of €450; the extension of the prohibition of the botellón in all public thoroughfares and places of public concurrence as well as private spaces for public use; and the limitation, for reasons of public safety, of the hours for the sale of alcohol in ordinary commercial establishments from 11 pm and until 8 am the following day.
Regarding disturbances in public spaces (parks and squares), a time limit is established for general use or certain activities in those public spaces, parks or squares where it is not possible to avoid or reduce disturbances derived from these uses or activities. ; and the Local Police is endowed with the power to evict public spaces in the event of situations of incivility.
Other innovations introduced by the new Citizenship and Coexistence Ordinance are the prohibition of excessively loud music being broadcast on public roads by people or vehicles; the obligation of those in charge of establishments open to the public to avoid the noisy behavior of their clients; the prohibition of the camping of vehicles or people in the urban area; or the prohibition of certain behaviors such as begging or graffiti.
