The capital of Seville, one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country.
Seville is a good example of how sustainable urban mobility policies can achieve a more livable city, on a human scale. And the progressive implementation of the bicycle, both public and private, as a common means of transport to move through its streets, has had a lot to do with it. Let's analyze the reasons for success.
Bicycles are a growing trend in the big cities of our country. Whether out of simple fashion, imitation of what has happened in the rest of Europe in recent years, or as an efficient solution to mobility problems in the city, urban cycling is a palpable reality. And the public administrations, that is, the city councils of the main Spanish cities, have had no choice but to take action on the matter, with greater or lesser success., establishing different measures to promote the bicycle as urban transport, with greater or lesser success depending on the case.A few months ago we already analyzed in this blog the different public bicycle rental services in the main Spanish cities. Now we are going to focus on one of the most notable, Seville. At the same time as Barcelona, Seville created its public bicycle rental system in 2007, since then occupying the top positions of the most bike-friendly cities, not only in Spain, but even in Europe. 2.500 mixed bicycles (with electric assistance) and 250 stations make up one of the most successful systems in our geography, greatly favored by the absence of large slopes in the city and a magnificent climate throughout the year.Another of the great attractions of Seville for urban cyclists is its extensive network of bike lanes., which according to the latest municipal data, offered last April, already reaches 179 kilometers with a high level of connectivity, a figure that is difficult to match by other Spanish cities... and which continues to increase. In this sense, we are aware that work is also being done on measures to encourage and promote the use of bicycles, as well as their integration with public intermodal means of transport, such as the tram. For now, the results are there. According to the OCU survey published last March, Seville is, along with Valencia, the best city in Spain for using the bicycle as a means of daily transportation. The users consulted especially value its public rental service, as well as the cycling infrastructure created in recent years. Although – now comes the slap on the wrist – they also express their dissatisfaction with the maintenance of some of these infrastructures. Nothing that cannot be solved with a little political will and the desire to commit to a different city model, healthier for everyone. And the bicycle can contribute to this.
