Tens of kids They run around, paint, jump and chat after school. It is the normal image of a Friday afternoon, with only one difference. They do it in the middle of the road. They are the students of the Ferran Sunyer school on Viladomat streetin the Eixampleand accompanied by their relatives have cut the street in token of noise protest. They hang banners in the flower beds with slogans such as “Less cars, more health & rdquor ;, or “We cannot concentrate with so much noise & rdquor ;.
They are part of the ‘School Revolt’ that has returned this November 4, for the first time in this new school year. It is the third course in which these protests are repeated and this Friday the appointment was the same for 21 other educational centers distributed throughout Barcelona. The novelty is that in this edition traffic cuts will be themed: they will focus on specific aspects. In this case, to demand greater security in school environments.
The situation of the Ferran Sunyer school is particular because it is located at number 1 on Calle Viladomat, one of the axes most affected by the implementation of a ‘superilla’ –the one of Sant Antoni– and the pacification from the immediately parallel street, Comte Borrell. After this urban action, as the neighbors maintain, the noise has increased notably due to the redirected traffic. In Viladomat in 2019 the volume of vehicles was 20% higher than in 2017, when Borrell was pacified. However, the pandemic has reversed this phenomenon. In fact, in 2021 traffic has decreased: it is 12% less than 5 years ago and has dropped from 8,500 to 7,500 vehicles per day, according to data from the City Council.
Complaints of those affected
The relatives, however, maintain their demands regarding the Ferran Sunyer school. Nacho Pérez, from the Downtown Family Association, says that the situation is unsustainable: “The streets to come are pacified, but we have the feeling that we are not a priority.” He says that sometimes children come home “with a headache & rdquor; because of the noise. The center address He corroborates it and affirms that they have been complaining for some time, without success.
A group of girls running around confirms the situation: “When an ambulance passes by, I lose focus & rdquor ;, says one of them, and is immediately supported by her friend: “Sometimes I don’t listen to the teacher & rdquor ;. The children focus on more specific problems: a nearby CAP, the loading and unloading trucks, and mainly a bus stop. bus with start and end of line The latter is the biggest reason for the parents’ anger, says Nacho Pérez: “They told us it was provisional, but here it is. It is the trigger & rdquor ;.
The city council highlights that traffic fell on the road in 2021, although at a slower rate than in previous years when Borrell was pacified
Protecting schools is a will of the city council, which promotes the designated areas in front of schools. Precisely for this reason, at the Ferran Sunyer they feel a little more unprotected. Between the Viladomat and Paral·lel traffic, the situation is tense. In the months of high temperatures, which are increasing in Barcelona, the management team explains that they cannot close the windows, because the heat is even worse. It is finished off by a girl, who has just hung one of the posters: “In summer I die of heat & rdquor ;.
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