There is a growing consensus on the mistakes made since the 60s with the promotion of transportation policies aimed at facilitating the indiscriminate and unbridled use of private vehicles. And in dense urban areas, cars are neither efficient nor sustainable (even so, it is estimated that half of the daily trips made by car do not exceed 5 km in distance) and the negative effects of their abuse are obvious: health problems, congestion, pollution, noise, consumption of public space, accidents, maintenance costs, etc. That is why most cities are aware that the solutions mainly involve breaking this vicious circle.
In this scenario, the use of the bicycle today assumes a very important role due to its own characteristics of efficiency and effectiveness as a means of urban transportation, becoming an ideal tool for urban transformation in terms of health and sustainability. Furthermore, the bicycle has a transversal impact on the deployment of other municipal policies such as the environment, health, quality of life, economy or social inclusion, among others. It is not surprising, then, that the commitment to promote the daily use of bicycles in cities has gone from being a trend to representing a reality that is occurring simultaneously in the majority of cities in Europe.
In turn, the Sant Boi de Llobregat Town Hall (Barcelona) He has already accumulated more than ten years of experience focusing efforts to return to the bicycle the space that should never have been lost and make a city and public space healthier, safer, more sustainable and on a more human scale. During these years he has developed up to seven documents related to the promotion of the bicycle, such as the Civic Pact for Sustainable Mobility, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan or the Bicycle Master Plan, among others. Furthermore, in 2009 the city reaffirmed its commitment to cycling, jointly leading with other Spanish cities the creation of the Bicycle Cities Network.
The Urban Bicycle Strategy of Sant Boi de Llobregat
In this context, the Mobility Council and the Territory and Economic Development Area decided to go one step further and start working on a document that addresses the promotion of bicycles in a comprehensive manner. In collaboration with Bikefriendly Consulting and the participation of the main agents involved directly or indirectly with the promotion of the bicycle, the Urban Bicycle Strategy of Sant Boi de Llobregat has been developed, a turning point in the sustainable development of the city, turning it into a municipality " friend of bikes” and making this vehicle an essential element in daily life.
The Sant Boi Urban Bike Strategy proposes two strategic objectives:
- Increase the city's cycling modal share, which according to data from the latest PMU is less than 1%.
- Make Sant Boi a 100% cyclable city, guaranteeing access by bike to any point in the city quickly, safely, comfortably and pleasantly and is articulated around 5 axes:
- Cycling infrastructure
- Training
- Health and Sports
- Local Economic Development, with cycle tourism as a key element
- Communication and Awareness
From which 19 action measures emerge that include all those aspects to be taken into account when deploying a comprehensive policy to promote the use of bicycles.
With all these measures, the aim is to achieve a city model that is firmly committed to the bicycle as a vehicle for daily use and to an urban development that has a positive impact on the health and quality of life of citizens. And it is that There is no more effective tool for transforming our cities and making them more livable than the bicycle.
Presentation of the Strategy: BACK to the BIKE
With the aim of making this document known to all citizens, the public presentation of the document will take place next Wednesday, April 18. This event will have the participation of the mayor of Sant Boi, Ilma. Ms. Lluisa Moret, and the mobility councilor, Ms. Elena Amat. In addition, a round table will be held in which the following will participate:
- Santiago Ribas, deputy director general of Planning and Technology of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
- Rossend Bosch, responsible for sustainable mobility projects in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.
- Josep Alboquers, head of the Infrastructure Unit of the Tourism Management of Diputació de Barcelona.
- Haritz Ferrando, from the Biciclot cooperative.
- Santi Gómez, program manager at the Gasol Foundation.
- Sergio Serna, general director of Bikefriendly Group.
This event aims to kick off a set of actions that will definitively transform the city of Sant Boi into a Bikefriendly City over the next few years.
