Carabanchel is facing a change that could transform the daily lives of thousands of drivers in the district: the possible introduction of new SER zones is in the hands of the residents themselves, who are being asked to vote in a referendum that will decide whether they want parking meters in much of Opañel and San Isidro.
The City Council has opened a public hearing on Decide Madrid to ask residents of these two Carabanchel neighborhoods (Opañel and San Isidro) if they want the Regulated Parking Service (SER) to be implemented on their streets. The survey, which will be open from April 27 to May 11, 2026, affects approximately 3,100 parking spaces that would be marked with green lines (residents) and blue lines (rotation).
In Opañel, Phase 1 of the expansion is being proposed: a large perimeter covering approximately half of the neighborhood, from the area adjacent to Comillas to the boundary of Mercedes Arteaga and Portalegre streets, with Oporto Avenue as the southern border. In San Isidro, Phase 2 is being put to a vote, which would complete the existing regulated zone with an area bounded by San Ambrosio Street, Ermita del Santo Walkway, Quince de Mayo Walkway, Toledo Bridge, and General Ricardos Street.
Who can vote and how
Although the process is conducted through the Decide Madrid platform and is open to public participation, only the votes of residents registered at the streets and addresses listed in Annex II of the referendum will be counted . In other words, the aim is for the residents directly affected by the implementation of the SER to decide whether to give the proposal the green light.
Before opening the vote, the City Council held an informational meeting with residents and associations on April 8 at the Fernando Lázaro Carreter Cultural Center, where the alternatives were explained and questions were answered regarding how the parking meter system would work in these neighborhoods. Once the public hearing is over, the expansion of the SER will only take place if the Carabanchel District Council issues a prior favorable agreement, taking into account the results of the consultation.
Why is the SER coming to Carabanchel?
The vote in Opañel and San Isidro is part of a much broader expansion plan: the City Council plans to bring regulated parking to 22 neighborhoods—17 of them new—in seven different districts, including Carabanchel. The Sustainable Mobility Ordinance allows for the expansion of SER wherever there is “neighborhood demand,” and in these two neighborhoods, numerous formal requests had been submitted—including through Decide Madrid itself—to place limits on free parking.
The main argument of those calling for the SER points to the lack of parking spaces due to the spillover effect from adjacent regulated zones, the influx of cars from other neighborhoods that leave vehicles parked all day to use the Metro or the Plaza Elíptica transit hub, and the growing difficulty of parking near home, especially at night. Supporters of parking meters are confident that, with the resident system, the chances of finding a spot will improve and the “invasion” of out-of-district vehicles will be reduced.
What would change if the “yes” vote wins
If the majority of votes cast by registered residents on the affected streets are in favor, the City Council will implement the SER in these new areas by December 31, 2026, as part of the service’s overall expansion schedule. This will entail: painting green spaces for residents and blue spaces for non-residents, with a total of approximately 2,760 spaces in the case of Opañel, of which only 136 would be blue;the requirement to obtain or renew a resident card in order to park at no additional cost in the corresponding zone, and the obligation to pay for a parking ticket (at a meter or via the app) to park as a visitor during regulated hours, at the current SER rates
Until May 11, the future of parking in these areas of Carabanchel is in the hands of their residents. The outcome of the digital vote on Decide Madrid will determine whether, in a few months, parking there will remain a battle without parking meters… or a new zone of green and blue lines on the SER map.