The Regulated Parking Service (SER) continues to expand into areas of the capital where it had not yet been implemented; this time, it is the turn of the streets in the Zofío neighborhood, in the Usera district, which had been excluded from the initial rollout of the SER in the neighborhood that took place in late 2025.
Zofío then became the fourth neighborhood in Usera to implement the SER, following Almendrales, Pradolongo, and Moscardó. The City Council activated the SER for the first time in the neighborhood following a consultation with residents in March of that same year and the approval of the proposal by the Usera District Council in April.
The perimeter of the SER zone in Zofío was bounded by Marcelo Usera Street, Rafaela Ybarra Avenue, Parque de la Paloma Street, Albardín Street, and Princesa Juana de Austria Avenue. The activation of the SER zone in the Zofío neighborhood resulted in the creation of 1,887 new parking spaces, of which 1,772 were green spaces—reserved for residents—and 115 were blue spaces.
In 2025, certain streets in the neighborhood were not included in the SER zone because approval of the amendment to the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance required for their inclusion was still pending . On March 24 of this year, however, this amendment was approved by the City Council in plenary session, and a public consultation will now be held with affected residents to decide whether or not to activate the SER in the remaining areas of the Zofío neighborhood.
The expansion of the SER zone will depend on a consultation with residents
Before the SER is activated in the remaining areas of the Zofío neighborhood, the initiative must be approved through a public consultation with the affected residents (only votes from individuals registered as residents in the designated area will be counted) and, subsequently, by the Usera District Municipal Council.
Voting will take place between October 15 and 30 at the municipal headquarters of the district council, and an informational meeting will be held beforehand to also seek the opinion of the Barrio de Zofío Neighborhood Association.
When SER zones are implemented in a neighborhood, adjacent areas without parking meters absorb traffic from drivers seeking free parking (the so-called “border effect”). In 2025, District Councilwoman Sonia Cea stated that the expansion of the Regulated Parking Service to the Zofío neighborhood was in response to complaints from residents who were facing parking problems exacerbated by this phenomenon.
Now, residents of the Zofío area still outside the SER zone will be able to vote on whether or not they want parking meters on their streets. They are not the only ones who have called for parking regulations in their neighborhoods to prevent them from absorbing traffic from other areas; recently, the expansion of the SER to part of the Opañel neighborhood and a new section of the San Isidro neighborhood was approved following a consultation with residents.