The number of cars and motorbikes on Lanzarote has risen constantly. There are now over 129,000 registered vehicles of all types on the islands, a figure that includes 33% more cars and more than twice as many motorcycles than there were 15 years ago.
All those vehicles need to be kept somewhere when not in use, and parking is becoming a sore point in several parts of the island. Among the main issues are:
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This is becoming a serious problem in all three of the tourist resorts, as well as several other towns on the island. On a fine day in high tourist season, it can be impossible to find a parking space near the beach.
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A problem that explains the lines of cars parked haphazardly on roadsides approaching the airport, as well as the increasing difficulty of parking near Arrecife’s centre. This situation is mainly caused by commuters who don’t fancy losing a chunk of their weekly wage to parking fees. The onus is on employers and local authorities
to provide adequate facilities.
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Hire cars have paid their road tax and are thus as entitled to use public parking spaces as any other vehicle. However, their presence can be controversial when they take up parking space and leave none for tourists or residents.
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The main complaint here is the shortage of disabled parking spaces.
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There are some areas, or some workers, who seem to enjoy fining cars for the most basic infringements of parking law. Make sure you park in an authorised area, keep within the lines and don’t get too close to other vehicles and you should be OK. If you can’t, then good luck…
When parking, keep your eye out for road markings that indicate pay zones (blue), prohibited or reserved areas (yellow) and free parking areas (white). Look for signs limiting parking to certain hours or days and obey them, and be sure never to block entrances.
Having said all this, it must be pointed out that parking in most of Arrecife is still a doddle compared to the situation you’ll find in major cities elsewhere. The price of parking is also more reasonable than British drivers have come to expect, as well.
