Taste your own medicine. This is how we could summarize the movements in the circulation policy of Ciutat Vella these days, which have even included a fine for improper circulation of bicycles to the mayor of Barcelona.
The story is a curious one. In January 2024, the City Council installed signs on 25 streets in Ciutat Vella indicating the prohibition to ride a bike or scooter and forcing users to get off the vehicles and continue on foot, which generated controversy among neighbors, who found themselves unable to circulate in their own neighborhood and saw a measure that favored the transit of tourist groups to the detriment of the neighbors.
The criticism prompted the City Council to promise to remove some of these signs a few days later. As late as June, these signs had still not been removed, which has caused them to turn against the Mayor of Barcelona himself, Jaume Collboni, in the last few hours.
100 euros fine for the mayor
The controversy has arisen as a result of a promotional video where Jaume Collboni and the councilman of Sports, David Escudé, are seen cycling along Avinyó street, one of the streets that banned cycling earlier this year.
The video has raised the obvious protests (and jokes) of the groups that were already calling for the removal of these signs and has also led to the imposition of a fine of 100 euros to the mayor and the councilman, who have already paid it by paying 50 euros for prompt payment.
Streets that will lose their signals
Following the incident with the mayor,the City Council has accelerated the removal of seven signs from the 25 streets of Ciutat Vella.
The streets affected are Avinyó street (between Ample and Ferran), carrer del Bisbe, baixada de Santa Eulàlia, carrer del Call, carrer de Sant Honorat, the passage between Sant Miquel and Sant Jaume squares and carrer de en Arai. The modifications will consist of removing signage in some cases, but in other cases indicators will be added to clarify traffic conditions, such as where there are contradictory signs.
In the other 18 streets of Ciutat Vella, the signs already in place will be maintained despite protests from certain groups, who consider this measure insufficient and that it limits sustainable mobility to neighbors and protects the circulation of groups of tourists.
The list of streets with prohibited circulation is: carrer de la Palla, carrer de l’Ave Maria, carrer dels Banys Nous, carrer de la Boqueria, carrer de Montjuïc del Bisbe, carrer de Sant Sever, carrer de Salomó Ben Adret, carrer de Sant Felip Neri, carrer de la Llibreteria, carrer dels Tres Llits, carrer de la Lleona, carrer d’Escudellers, carrer de Simó Oller, carrer dels Banys Vells, carrer de Mirallers, carrer dels Vigatans, carrer d’en Robador (between carrer de Sant Rafael and carrer de l’Hospital), carrer de Flassaders, carrer del Pou de la Cadena, carrer de l’Arc del Teatre.