In the past few years, approaches to encourage bike use have been promoted as one of the important policies in cities worldwide. This is due to a growing awareness of environmental protection. Therefore, while many cities have pursued policies related to bikes, Barcelona is said to be one of the best bike-friendly cities in the world today, and this is due to the quality of the cycle network in Barcelona.
In Barcelona, the establishment of bike lanes was started seriously in 2015 when the government launched the “Bicycle Strategy for Barcelona”. This policy aimed to encourage increased bike use as a common transportation. Within the strategy, the cycling infrastructure has been improved to make bicycle use safer and more compatible with other traffic, including pedestrians. Building bike lanes was the most important task for realizing those objectives. As a result of the strategy, its total distance has been approximately doubled to current days, and now it is over 240km. In Barcelona, lanes for cyclists have developed in several types different types, Two-way on the road, One-way on the road, Two-way on the pavement, and One-way on the pavement. These types of bike lanes achieve the goals the city council launched before while adapting to each condition.
In 5 years, Barcelona has doubled the city’s network of bike-lanes from 120km to 241km & eliminated 3.5k parking spaces. It made the entire city a low-emissions zone & created car-free areas around schools. It’s considering a London-style congestion zone. https://t.co/CVb4JI9ymj
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) January 13, 2022
Bike lanes have been developed in new ways these days
Currently, bike lanes in Barcelona are currently being upgraded not only in terms of distance but also in terms of their quality from the point of view of their materials. One study investigates the behavior of materials used to pave bike lanes to prevent large puddles and flooding in the city. Furthermore, bike lanes were also built for recreational purposes. The Ronda Verde is a semi-urban bike lane around the city of Barcelona designed through parks and gardens, and a large avenue.
The Ronda Verde: the new types of bike lanes in Barcelona. Source: Ajuntamento de Barcelona
In Barcelona, bike lanes have been dramatically increased its distance and are being enhanced in new ways. In addition to this, the city council is still working to improve them, aiming to create a pleasant environment for all road users, not just cyclists.
Jotaro Nishizawa
