The Getafe City Council has expressed its concern over the inconveniences that upcoming large-scale concerts at the Iberdrola Music venue in Madrid will generate, particularly regarding mobility and noise levels. After reiterating the demand for safe access and efficient public transport from the capital, the council regrets that its requests have been ignored by security forces and the Madrid City Council.
Getafe's municipal technical services will conduct noise emission controls during the Shakira concerts, scheduled over four consecutive weekends. These events, held at the Iberdrola Music venue, are expected to cause new disturbances to residents of Villaverde and Getafe.
During the previous Coca Cola Music Experience event, kilometer-long queues were recorded due to closures on the M-45 highway passing through Getafe. Thousands of attendees traveled on foot or used the city as an exit route. Noise measurements exceeded healthy limits for residents in their homes, a recurring problem affecting neighborhoods like Getafe Norte and Los Molinos.
The Getafe council reminds that the implementation of provisional traffic light crossings on high-capacity roads not only fails to facilitate the flow of attendees but also hinders daily access to homes and workplaces in the municipality.
To mitigate disturbances for residents of Getafe Norte, the Getafe City Council will restrict access to the Coliseum parking lot for non-residents. Improper motorcycle parking will be monitored, and efforts will be made to prevent large concentrations of ride-sharing vehicles (VTC) and taxis in the city to avoid a massive exodus of attendees towards the city.
The Municipal Government points to a network of shared responsibilities. On one hand, the Madrid City Council, for granting licenses without consulting mobility plans with Getafe and promoting a venue that generates noise pollution in Villaverde and Getafe.
On the other hand, the Community of Madrid, for financing and promoting events at the venue while evading its mediating role, unlike the protection offered to areas in the city center such as the vicinity of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Operational commanders of the State Security Forces and Corps are urged to demand definitive and safe access from the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, such as a pedestrian overpass or an underpass over the M-45, or a metro station at the beginning of Avenida Real de Pinto.
The Getafe City Council also highlights the deployment of the Civil Guard and National Police required for each concert due to the lack of safe access, resources that could be allocated to other needs. Finally, private promoters are pointed out for profiting from large events without assuming the costs of access or noise, disregarding the problems they cause in Getafe.
