Mobility is a strategic factor for quality of life of the citizens and economic competitiveness of the territories. Designing a city just to live in, prioritizing the use of public space basically for leisure, for walking and playing in the street, may be good for some small municipalities, but if what we want is improve air quality and promote the economic progress of a city like Barcelona, we need global mobility planning that makes it compatible.
In this sense, it is essential act with a metropolitan vision, because the economy of the city, and to a large extent also that of the country, depends precisely on the people who come to Barcelona every day to work, study, shop and enjoy leisure; and also of tourists.
Carry out a private vehicle restriction plan without taking into account that more than 5 million citizens live in this territory who currently do not have a reliable and quality offer of public transport services to access the city, and to whom it is only offered as an alternative an uncertain performance schedule (the capacity of Rodalies will not increase until 2030), it is not only unsupportive, but also demagogic.
Barcelona has to improve air quality and we have to ensure good mobility on foot, by bicycle and on a scooter, but public space is scarce and we have to carry out precise management so that everyone’s necessary mobilities can be resolved in a safe, agile and efficient manner in any mode of transport.
the next eight years more than 20 actions are planned on public roads that will increase congestion and pollution, among which are the green axes of the Eixample and the reform of the Via Laietana. We believe that now is the time to prioritize public transport works, increasing investment to increase capacity and shorten execution times, while redefining the rest of the Actions that reduce fluidity to mobility.
You have to do things right. We need measures that have rigorous studies that endorse them, that they do not generate legal doubts and that they realistically anticipate the expected consequences if we want to avoid experiences such as the Glòries tunnel these days, because, despite being excellent infrastructure, It has been released with controversy.
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It is not worth being diligent with traffic restrictions and slow with investments, as users of private vehicles cannot be criminalized either when sufficient incentives have not been articulated for the renewal of the automobile fleet or the network of electric charging points that the city needs.
Today many citizens feel victims of this reality and action must be taken. Experience tells us that consensus, public-private collaboration, rigorous analysis of data, constructive proposals and the real will to find solutions to problems are the way to improve mobility for all, mobility that is also metropolitan, must be safe, clean and compatible with economic progress.