Residents of Vía Romana and Vía Púnica in Ibiza's sa Capelleta neighbourhood say finding a parking space has become a daily struggle, with some reporting that they can spend close to an hour driving around before finding somewhere to leave their vehicles.

The complaints come from a central part of Ibiza Town close to Vara de Rey, the port and the historic centre, where residents say competition for limited parking spaces becomes particularly intense during the summer.

Residents describe long searches for parking

Pilar Ribas, who lives in the area, said she has sometimes spent around an hour looking for a space.

She said the situation on Vía Púnica has become particularly difficult, citing a garage entrance, spaces reserved for a nearby nursery during certain hours, building works and motorcycle parking among the factors reducing the available space.

Ribas said she also sometimes tries the paid parking area near Reina Sofía Park, although she described finding a space there as difficult as well.

Another resident, Jesús Navas, said the problem is especially severe during summer evenings, when he believes tourist vehicles add to the pressure.

He said the arrival of seasonal workers before Easter also marks the beginning of what he describes as a prolonged struggle to find parking in the neighbourhood.

A central neighbourhood with many competing uses

Residents say the problem cannot simply be attributed to tourists.

Vía Romana and Vía Púnica are located close to a number of public services, businesses and other facilities, while Vía Romana also provides access to Dalt Vila through Portal Nou.

The Policlínica Nuestra Señora del Rosario is located on Vía Romana, meaning part of the street is used for ambulance and emergency access. Patients, relatives and healthcare workers also require access to the area.

Other nearby facilities include the Reina Sofía Park, the Archaeological Museum, the UNED centre, La Consolación school, the School of Languages and the Consell.

Residents argue that these different uses place significant pressure on the amount of space available for ordinary residential parking.

Annual parking permits do not guarantee a space

Residents interviewed for the report say they pay around €90 each year for access to the regulated blue-zone system.

The current ORA system allows regulated parking in blue zones, with a maximum stay of two hours for ordinary users and a daily resident ticket costing €0.60.

Residents' complaint is that paying for the resident authorisation does not guarantee that a space will be available near their homes.

That distinction is central to their concerns: the issue is not only the price of parking, but whether residents can actually find somewhere to park.

Residents suggest different solutions

The people quoted in the report do not all propose the same answer.

Ribas suggested that access to some streets could be restricted more heavily for non-residents, pointing to arrangements in parts of Ibiza such as Puig des Molins and Dalt Vila.

Navas believes that removing further parking spaces would not solve the problem and instead called for more parking capacity, mentioning the area around the Comandancia as one possible location.

Another resident suggested creating a residential-only parking area for Vía Romana and the streets under the greatest pressure.

These are residents' proposals and are not current municipal measures.

One resident proposes a higher vehicle-access charge

A further person interviewed for the report argued that Ibiza has too many cars and motorcycles and suggested that the island's vehicle-access charge should be substantially higher.

The resident referred to the €1-a-day charge applicable to certain authorised non-resident vehicles entering Ibiza during the seasonal vehicle-control period and suggested a charge of between €10 and €20 a day.

That figure is an individual proposal made during the interviews. It is not a new fee announced by the island or city authorities.

For 2026, the general vehicle-access restriction period runs from June 1 through September 30.

Ibiza is already changing its parking model

The parking debate comes as Ibiza Town has been working on a new model for regulated parking.

The Ayuntamiento announced plans for a system with green spaces prioritising residents, alongside blue spaces intended to improve vehicle rotation. The planned system covers areas including sa Capelleta and was designed to give residents greater priority in neighbourhoods experiencing parking pressure.

The proposal included 6,256 regulated spaces, with a minimum of 4,438 planned as green spaces and 1,818 as blue spaces.

New parking contract remains suspended

The planned changes are not yet simply an operational reality.

The Ayuntamiento's new parking-service tender, valued at approximately €12.85 million, was suspended after companies challenged the procurement documents before the Spanish administrative procurement tribunal.

As a result, the new parking contract and the full proposed model should not be described as already implemented.

Existing blue-zone system remains in place

The city's current regulated parking service continues to operate under the existing system.

The official ORA information lists blue-zone parking at €0.50 for 30 minutes, €1 for one hour and €2 for the maximum two-hour stay. The published summer schedule runs from June 1 to September 30, from Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 22:00.

The city's existing arrangements therefore remain relevant while the proposed replacement system goes through its administrative and procurement process.

Residents want more spaces and better protection

For people living on Vía Romana and Vía Púnica, the debate is ultimately about how limited public space should be divided between residents and the many different users visiting or operating in the neighbourhood.

They say the current situation becomes particularly difficult during the summer and at night, when demand rises and parking spaces become harder to find.

The proposed solutions range from creating more parking capacity to introducing stronger resident-priority measures and restricting vehicle access in the most pressured areas.

A wider mobility challenge for Ibiza Town

The situation in sa Capelleta reflects a broader challenge for Ibiza Town, where residential neighbourhoods are located alongside major tourist, commercial, cultural, medical and administrative areas.

The city's planned parking reforms are intended to address some of those competing demands, but the procurement process means the proposed new system has not yet replaced the existing one.

For now, residents of sa Capelleta continue to call for measures that would make it easier for people living in the neighbourhood to find parking without having to spend long periods searching for a space.