Barcelona, city of superblocks and scooters
Like many other cities in the world, Barcelona faces the paradox of experiencing an unstoppable municipal desire towards the pacification of roads traditionally destined for motor vehicles, while, at the same time, the ancestral spaces of pedestrians suffer the invasion of electrical devices of increasing speed. In the case of our city, the fact is particularly curious given that (thanks to the brilliant intuition of the genius Cerdà) the structure of the Eixample allocated the landscaping to the interiors of the block and motor speed to the paved roads. Stories aside, it seems evident that the cities of the future will reduce the presence of the motor in their center (we must celebrate it objectively in what respects our lung health), powerless when it comes to preventing the progressive conversion of sidewalks into motorways for vehicles more air nonconformist than cars but with an equally stressful effect.
Several decades ago, we would have been very surprised if the paradox in question –expressed in the controversies of superblocks and the excessive presence of electric scooters, respectively– became one of the hits of Barcelona today. But reality shows us that the newspapers of the tribe already have sections dedicated to the subject and have even promoted surveys where the pacification of the streets divides the people of Barcelona more than the noise of the process. That the present case enters the marketing of the politicking makes it even more nebulous: first, because the debate on superblocks has become one of the workhorses of the current municipal administration (despite being a project created by the Hereu PSC and maintained by Trias when he was mayor) and, second, because Colau’s project has nothing to do with superblocks, limiting itself to pacifying some isolated roads.
The superblock is a great idea of 21st century European urbanism (one of his parents, by the way, is our excellent Salvador Rueda) and the idea of pacifying two streets, keeping one of traffic, has led to face-to-face reductions in combustion cars close to 50%. Barcelona could perfectly consider transitioning to the model in question, taking advantage of its unique grid and, in fact, beyond painting the asphalt of the streets with aesthetically unbearable little colors, it could have been completely raised to create green areas or quiet areas. But the current model maintains the abusive presence of the car and the only thing that will end up causing is more retentions on the roads near the pacified road (Valencia street residents, buy respirators). In fact, what is most surprising about the current debate on superblocks is that every god has an opinion on something that does not suit them.
The current model maintains the abusive presence of the car and the only thing that will end up causing is more retentions on the roads near the pacified road
Everybody knows, yes, that the cities of the future will be much more individualized, the journeys will take just over a quarter of an hour and the presence of vehicles such as electric scooters or bicycles will be increasing. It is very logical that the new presence puts stress on mobility; Last year, for example, the Urban Police ended up fining 19,796 scooter drivers, most of whom for driving through a prohibited zone, running through a traffic light and driving with headphones or without a helmet. It is noticeable that the Barcelona gang rarely rides through Ciutat Vella, because streets such as Servidora -apparently intended for pedestrians- have become a real highway for these vehicles and most of its drivers are, to put it mildly, rather little tolerant of the presence of people who still have the curious habit of walking. The phenomenon is not surprising, I insist, but rather the lack of control.
It is not surprising that, with data from the City Council, the accident rate of accidents related to a scooter has multiplied exponentially in figures of 25% per year. Just yesterday we knew that our city will be one of the first to demand that skaters wear caps, avoid riding with a companion and not occupy the sidewalks. This legislation comes late, because many pedestrian areas have already naturalized the omnipresence of such vehicles (and, it must also be said, part of the citizenry has normalized it based on eating only the Glovo diet). If cities like ours pacify the streets in a random way, they will still affect a very deficient public transport, this type of transport will ruin exponentially and not even the best police in the world will be able to control it. This is, ultimately, and often happens, the result of doing things late and halfway.
Barcelona could be a city of superblocks and scooters, but I am afraid that it will end up being a city where the feat of walking will be more difficult every day.