The first major beach Sunday of the year has led to scenes of chaos rather than the pleasant day expected by thousands of bathers. Drivers spent over an hour searching for parking, and hospitality workers had to walk twenty minutes to their jobs amidst high temperatures, with a maximum of 34.6 degrees Celsius and forecasts predicting a rise to 37-38 degrees this week.
The most striking incident occurred at Laga beach. The main parking area, closed for weeks due to a project to expand the dune area, was found forced open on Sunday despite access prevention measures. According to local residents, someone removed the tapes, barriers, and metal ties, allowing numerous vehicles to enter. 'Apparently, an individual opened the barrier out of desperation,' explained Eder, a local resident. 'It's been a real madness since Thursday. The Ertzaintza and even the Guardia Civil have had to come to restore order, issue fines, and remove cars,' he added.
The closure of the main parking lot, with a capacity for 250-300 vehicles, continues to cause discontent among residents and regular beachgoers, who complain about the lack of sufficient alternatives. 'One day we find the parking lot closed, and the nearest parking is now three or four kilometers away. We're parking on the roadside and even on cycle paths, and there have been accidents,' lamented Joseba, a resident of Ibarrangelu and member of the Laga Baketan Laga platform. Residents fear the situation will worsen with the arrival of summer and have called for a new protest next Sunday.
In Gorliz, the situation is compounded by uncertainty surrounding the new OTA (municipal parking regulation), which has yet to be implemented despite the ordinance planning its activation for mid-May. The service tender is still pending, and the necessary machines have not been installed. Gorliz and Plentzia beaches saw a large influx of visitors from early morning, with parking lots filling up much earlier than usual. By eleven o'clock, finding a free spot had become a difficult task for hundreds of drivers. 'At nine in the morning, the large parking lot was almost full. Madness. People saw this coming,' commented Nacho, a local resident. He explained that the problem has even led to new practices among some private parking space owners. 'Now people are taking their private cars out of their garages, parking them on the street when they find a spot, and then renting out their garage space. It's a total business. It's crazy, and with summer coming, we'll have to see how it's managed.'
The lack of parking has also led to tense moments. A young couple left the area visibly annoyed after receiving a fine. The woman explained they had spent a long time driving around streets and parking areas when they found a spot marked with cones. They decided to move the cones to park their vehicle and were soon fined by the Local Police. Loli, who traveled from Bilbao, estimates she spent about an hour looking for a place to leave her car. 'I had to park very far away and walk. If I had known it would be like this, I would have come by metro or bus,' she admitted. Txema, who came with his family from Barakaldo, had a similar experience. 'I had no idea about the OTA. I didn't think it would be so full,' he explained. After unsuccessfully searching several parking areas, he opted to drop off his wife and daughters at the beach entrance and continue searching for a free spot alone.
The situation also affects those who commute daily for work. Óscar, a waiter at the Okela bar and restaurant, stated that parking has become one of the day's main problems. 'We usually leave it in the Eroski parking lot, which is about a twenty-minute walk away, and walk from there,' he explained. 'If this isn't regulated, it will be impossible to work.' With summer just around the corner, the day has once again highlighted a recurring problem on the Biscayan coast: the lack of parking on pleasant weather days.
