The Madrid council, under the administration of Almeida, has reversed its pilot project aimed at placing lockers for receiving packages from major online retailers. This decision was made after meetings with the district and in response to raised objections.
The Delegate for Mobility, Borja Carabante, announced the withdrawal during his area's commission meeting, in response to a question from Vox. The initial plan included installing these lockers on streets such as Dulcinea, Hernani, Juan de Olías, Castellana, Ourense, General Perón, and Ávila, in some cases replacing underutilized bicycle parking spots.
The project, intended for a one-year trial before potential city-wide expansion, aimed to "optimize the logistics of the last mile" and reduce congestion and pollution associated with urban goods distribution, which accounts for 10% of the vehicle fleet but 20% of congestion and 30% of pollution in the city.
Ignacio Ansaldo, a councilor from Vox, criticized the initiative, arguing that it ceded public space to private companies, created unfair competition for local businesses, and posed aesthetic and accessibility issues. He suggested that shopping centers or the companies themselves should rent spaces for these lockers.
The withdrawal follows a negative opinion issued by the Urban Landscape Commission regarding the installation of these elements. Opposition groups, including the PSOE through councilor Antonio Giraldo, also voiced their disapproval, calling the idea an "attack on small businesses" and criticizing the municipal government's "lack of sensitivity" in intervening in public spaces.
Más Madrid echoed these criticisms, viewing the project as a "new concession" of public space to large private logistics operators and a "direct attack" on local commerce.
