Eliminating bike lanes complicates safe cycling mobility in Spanish cities

Since the beginning of the 2023-2027 municipal legislature, in some cities the new local governments are questioning important advances that had been made in mobility as essential components in the definition of an urban model of present and future that is respectful of the environment and healthier .

In this order of things, some decisions adopted are surprising, such as the cancellation of bike lanes, which complicates safe mobility by bicycle and compromises the modal distribution in these cities.

The bicycle generates multiple benefits. To deny this evidence is to ignore a solid demonstrated reality and, especially, to refuse progress. Since the German Baron Karl Von Drais invented what years later would become the bicycle in 1817, there has been a lot of rain, but, without a doubt, this invention only provides benefits for our health, for our lives in community and also for the environment. I am not able to find a single harm that a policy promoting bicycle use could generate in a city.

In congested urban areas, commuting by bicycle can be faster than by car. This vehicle takes up little space and is easy to park. Furthermore, the more people use bicycles, the greater the awareness of drivers and authorities about the need to improve infrastructure. At the same time, this will also lead to improved road safety for cyclists.

With bicycles we also achieve cities with less noise and less noise pollution, which contributes to quieter urban environments. There are numerous studies that abound in the idea that daily use of the bicycle relieves stress and, therefore, contributes in part to improving our personal happiness.

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Let us remember that in 2050 means of transport based on fossil energy will be prohibited from circulation in Europe. Meanwhile, bicycle mobility is destined to continue growing, especially in urban environments.

Without a doubt, it is currently complex to understand and accommodate the restrictive measures that some municipal governments are taking on bicycle use in cities. It is a zero-emission vehicle that, unlike the path that Europe sets, is usually motivated by maintaining mobility based on fossil energy and pollution.

Less traffic jams

Another important element to defend any urban planning that promotes the use of bicycles is the systematic elimination of congestion in our cities. The use of this vehicle is directly related to the radical reduction of crowding. Like public transport, the bicycle is a multiplier element to build more humane, more comfortable, healthier and less overwhelming cities.

The future lies in an effective combination between sustainable personal mobility (bicycle) and public transport. In this direction are the public bicycle projects developed by various cities such as Valladolid, Barcelona and its metropolitan area, Seville, Valencia and Murcia, among others, which promote this combination between the bicycle and the metro, the bus, the tram or the train. Improve connectivity between zero or low emission systems and commit to intermodality [la posibilidad de combinar varios medios de transporte] contributes to improving our collective quality of life.

For the Bicycle Cities Network It is important that before eliminating a bike lane, a political, technical and social debate be opened with the idea of improving and progressing mobility. We must opt for sustainable circulation and that necessarily involves having more bicycles, more bike lanes and fewer cars circulating through our cities. It is about intensifying public policies in local, regional and national administrations in favor of cycling.