Skip to main content

Barcelona’s strategy to cut car traffic

Barcelona is to deploy a strategy using a variety of approaches to cut car traffic by more than 20 per cent to improve air quality in the city, particularly nitrogen dioxide and particulates. Barcelona's busy harbour and crowded streets mean that air pollution in the city is a constant challenge. The city's Mobility Plan includes reforms to parking charges, the bus network, and the concept of 'superblocks', where access to certain areas is restricted to private vehicles. Previous versions of the conce
March 18, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Barcelona is to deploy a strategy using a variety of approaches to cut car traffic by more than 20 per cent to improve air quality in the city, particularly nitrogen dioxide and particulates.

Barcelona's busy harbour and crowded streets mean that air pollution in the city is a constant challenge. The city's Mobility Plan includes reforms to parking charges, the bus network, and the concept of 'superblocks', where access to certain areas is restricted to private vehicles.

Previous versions of the concept have banned access to all vehicles within a defined zone, with the exception of emergency services, delivery vehicles and those of residents.

Barcelona may only permit access to private vehicles on certain weekends. Five pilot areas have been created across the city to demonstrate how the concept might work. It is also hoped that the move will cut traffic accidents by 20 per cent.

Barcelona's mayor, Xavier Trias, said "The challenge is to ensure that the economic recovery is accompanied by more sustainable and safe mobility."

Related Content

  • Communauto receives permit for car-share project in Toronto
    October 16, 2018
    Communauto will receive a permit to take part in the City of Toronto’s free-floating car-share pilot programme and will make 200 vehicles available from November. John Tory, mayor of Toronto, says: “I've encouraged the introduction of these new technologies and believe that there can be many benefits, including potentially reducing traffic and congestion by removing cars from the road." The Communauto Flex service is free to join and offers users a pay-as-you-go structure. Daily trips cost $0.41 per
  • APT Skidata and CitiPark partner to reduce city emissions at car parks
    July 3, 2017
    Parking technology business APT Skidata has teamed up with UK parking operators CitiPark in a trial which aims to reduce emissions in car parks, building on an eight-year relationship that has seen APT Skidata’s technology at 12 of CitiPark’s 15 sites.
  • Christian Haas, PTV: 'Be optimistic, innovative and strong'
    May 27, 2020
    Christian Haas joined PTV as chief executive in November last year after a career spent on the technology side of the financial services industry. Adam Hill asks him about how the transport and mobility industry will be reshaped in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic
  • Costing transit is complicated case
    August 19, 2015
    David Crawford welcomes fresh thinking from Canada. Public transit improvements can bring society “significantly more value” than conventional transport models normally indicate, argues Canadian researcher Todd Litman. “Traditional evaluation practices originally developed to assess roadway improvements, and focus primarily on vehicle travel speeds and operating costs. “They do not generally quantify or monetise basic mobility benefits, vehicle ownership and parking cost savings, or efficient land developme