After years, since 2008, discussing how urbanize the Sant Antoni slab and after several proposals on the tableyesterday Monday night, the city council presented the preliminary project for the remodeling of the section of the ring road that runs between Floridablanca street (corner of Casanova) and Urgell to the residents of the area: a proposal that does not convince even the neighbors favorable to the total pacification of the space or those who advocate maintaining a road dedicated to public transport. Both with years behind defending opposite positions. It is not to the liking of the PSC either, partner of the ‘comuns’ in the municipal government. What the consistory put on the table is very Solomonic: the first section (between Floridablanca and Villarroel) will be totally pedestrian; the second, between Villarroel and Urgell, will have one drop-off lane for all five bus lines that run through the area.
Treure la llosa and reform the Ronda de St.Antoni favoring pedestrians, public transport, bicycles and a million distribution of merchandise
This is the proposal agreed to both veïns / es el 2018 and that brings together the best political consensus. From the PSC, I followed the defender with the best option
— Jaume Collboni (@jaumecollboni) November 8, 2022
“Remove the slab and reform the Ronda de Sant Antoni favoring pedestrians, public transport, bicycles and a better distribution of merchandise. This is the proposal agreed with neighbors in 2018 and that brings together the greatest political consensus. From the PSC we continue to defend it as the best option & rdquor ;, he pointed out James Collboni via Twitter. What was defended four years ago and the socialists continue to claim is that public transport has a pick-up and drop-off lane. Something that the draft does not foresee. The position of the ‘comuns’ is different: it is about “a proposal of balance & rdquor ;, that “meets all the demands and sensitivities” and that “concrete and specify, to the letter, everything that had been asked of us & rdquor ;, according to the cTown Planning Councilor Janet Sanz.
“Public Health Issue”
Affirmations that those affected do not share. For Xavier Caballé, from Pro Pacificació de la Ronda de Sant Antoni, “the proposal is a setback after 15 years without traffic on the street & rdquor ;. For the 40 entities that make up the platform “Total pacification is a matter of public health and a right in an area that brings together two of the most densely populated and polluted neighborhoods in Barcelona”. There is another criticism against the consistory: “We presented a manifesto with a whole argument for the reason for total pacification and nobody has refuted it & rdquor ;. The opposition is clear about it, it remains to be seen how they will deal with it, how it will come out of the meeting that the 40 entities will have on Tuesday night.
Sepúlveda, an urban highway
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On the ideological sidewalk in front, the one that defends public transport traffic along the branch line, thea Platform d’Afectats per la Llosa de Sant Antoni, is not happy either with the decision of the council: “It is a fudge that does not please anyone & rdquor ;, says Toni Olivella. The botched thing in question has to do with the fact that the bus lane only covers half a section of what is now occupied by the concrete platform: it goes down the Urquinaona round, turns around Sepúlveda and goes down Villarroel to return to the round. “It’s a meaningless L, everyone knows that the shortest distance between two points is the straight line & rdquor ;, defends Olivella. The platform defends that the entire lane through the round “facilitates access from the Raval and decongests a stressed area such as Sepúlveda & rdquor ;. In fact, the aforementioned street has become a highway with urban busesinterurban and those who go to the airport and their neighbors threaten with mobilizations.
“Scammed and Duped”
Olivella also maintains that they feel “scammed and cheated & rdquor; since the materialization of only half a section of the downhill bus lane comes “after several meetings with the city council, having given up the uphill lane and agreed on the downhill lane”. There will be a meeting of the platform and a manifesto in favor of public mobility, but Olivella is convinced that “it will not do any good because in the final they do what they want.” The disagreement between municipal partners, neighbors and the town hall is one more chapter in the soap opera of the urbanization of a section that has been pending repair since 2018, when the Sant Antoni market left the provisional location to recover its renovated historical space.