BARCELONASMAJORTRAFFICSYSTEMSAND CORRIDORS

FINALREPORTFORTHEREGIONALANDURBANMANAGEMENTMODULE STUDENT:FEDERICOWERNER (MATR.NR.11081386;EMAIL:FEDEWERNER@GMAIL.COM) JANUARY12TH,2012

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

TABLEOFCONTENTS

1.INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................3 2.THEPUBLICSPACEANDTHEROADNETWORKASTHETRANSPORTATIONBASIS:HISTORICCONTEXT.........4
2.1.Barcelonasorigins...................................................................................................................................4 2.2.LEixample ...............................................................................................................................................5 . 2.3.ThecityexpansionbeyondLEixample....................................................................................................6

3.PRESENTDEMANDOFTRANSPORTATION................................................................................7 4.PRESENTOFFEROFTRANSPORTATION....................................................................................9
4.1.Nomotorizedtransportation................................................................................................................10 4.2.Transportationinmotorizedprivateownedvehicles...........................................................................11 4.3.Transportationinmasstransitsystems.................................................................................................13

5.THEMETROAREAANDCORRIDORS......................................................................................18 6.ENVIRONMENTALEXTERNALITIES........................................................................................20
6.1.Pollution................................................................................................................................................20 6.2.EnergyefficiencyandCO2emissions.....................................................................................................21 6.3.Noise......................................................................................................................................................21 6.4.Security..................................................................................................................................................22

7.FROMTHEFIELD:OBSERVATIONSAFTERVISITINGTHECITY........................................................22 8.CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................26 9.CITEDLITERATURE...........................................................................................................27

Note:duetothelayoutandformofpresentationofthisreport,somemapswerereducedinqualityinorder tofitintoit;yettheystillprovideusefulinformationforinterpretationpurposes.Mapsinoriginalqualityare availableuponrequest.

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

1.INTRODUCTION
Transportationisaconsequenceoftheexistenceofspace:resourcesaredistributedheterogeneouslyina threedimensionworld.Havingevolvedinthiscontext,movingaroundispartofhumannatureandwayof life, composed of a myriad of inevitable activities that would almost impossibly be located at the same location.Eventheactionitselfofmovingaroundmaybeforsomeindividualsanimportantpartofeveryday life,andtheimpossibilityofmovingisactuallyapunishmentsuchasthatimposedtoimprisonedconvicted. The necessities and methods of transportation have changed drastically along human history, in line with the cultural and technological evolution. This works is focused in the contemporary situation in urban locations,specificallyforthecaseofBarcelonaCity. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, with more than 1,6 million inhabitants distributed in a plain area(thePla)ofaround100km2,limitedbytheMediterraneancoastandtheCollserolaMountainsand theBessandLlobregatrivers(Fig.1)(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004).Further3,2millioninhabitantslive inthemetropolitansuburbs,whichextendovermorethan600km2.Barcelonesessumupalmost6,5million daily travels around the city, from which more than a half are solved by nomotorized transport systems (AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2011).

Figure 1: Geomorphologic context of Barcelona city: a view of the Pla area. Behind lies the Mediterranean Sea (Ajuntament de Barcelona,2004).

TheoutstandingcharacteristicofBarcelonacityis,inthecontextofthisstudy,itsorganizationoftheurban space. That is what defines not only the availability of space for transportation, but also the density and distributionofpopulationandeconomicactivitieswhicharethesourceoftransportationdemand. InitiatedwithIldefonsoCerdsplanofreformandextensionLEixample,Barcelonasurbanplanninghas sincethenimplementedinnovativeandproactivesolutionstocitysproblems. The subsequent growth of the city during the 20th century unleashed metropolisation, which due to the specificgeomorphologicalconditionsgeneratedurbancorridors.

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

2.THEPUBLICSPACEANDTHEROADNETWORKASTHETRANSPORTATION BASIS:HISTORICCONTEXT

2.1.BARCELONASORIGINS
Even though records exist of human settlement in the area of Barcelona from previous times, is the foundationofthetownofBarcinobytheRomans(aroundyear15BC)theoldesthistoriceventfromwhich thecitystillholdsphysicalevidenceintheformofurbanstructure. Sincethen,throughthemiddleagesanduntilbeforetheindustrialrevolution,thecityconfrontedseveral historicchangesandevents,yetitsextensiongrewlittle.Atthebeginningoftheindustrialrevolution,the citysurbanparadigmwasstillthatofmedievalcities:concentrationinsidetheprotectedcitadel. Inthiscontext,transportationwassimpleinitsforms.Thecitywascompactforhavinganeasierdefensein the occasions of war, but this also made transportation within more simple in times of low access to technologyandresources.Carriageswereprobablythemostcomplexvehiclesthecityhadtoconsiderwhen buildingroads. The opening of trade with the Spanish colonies in America in 1778 sparkled intensive growth, fueled afterwards by the technical advances of the industrial revolution. By mid19th century, wine, cork ad iron industrieswerebooming.In1848,SpainsfirstrailwaylinewasopenedbetweenBarcelonaandMatar.In betweens,populationgrewrapidly,boostedespeciallywithmigrantsfromruralsurroundingareas.Butthe citys residential capacity could not keep up and the living condition of workingclass families decreased. Poornutrition,badsanitationanddiseaseleadtoprotestswhichwereseverelyputdown.Somereliefcame in1854withtheknockingdownofmedievalwallsbutthepressureremainedacute(Simonis,2010). Theroadnetworkconsistedinthattimeofsmallstreetsandpassagesintheinnercitywithonlysomeareas stillreflectingtheoriginalRomanlayout,andfromitsgates,anetworkofroadsleadtotheneighbouring cities(Fig.2).

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

CollserolaMountains

ThePla

BarcelonaCity MontjuicMountain
Figure2:Detailofa1608mapofthesurroundingsofBarcelona:thePla,keptunbuiltfordefensepurposes(Barcelona,2011).

2.2.LEIXAMPLE
In1869,thecitysgovernmentcommissionedengineerIldefonsoCerdaplanfortheexpansionofthecity totheplainslocatedindirectionoftheCollserolaMountainsandtheGrciacity.Theseplainshadremained inhabiteduntilthenforreasonsofwarstrategy,whichhadlostitsvaliditybythattime(Borja,2009). Cerds plan was revolutionary: he proposed a low density but extensive expansion of the city, with an orthogonalgridcomposedofstreetsparalleltothecoastanditsperpendicularstreetscomingdownfrom CollserolaMountains. All the design characteristics of the plan followed three guiding theoretical foundations (Busquets & Corominas,2009): Ensuringhealth:notonlysanitation(theurgentsolutionrequiredbythecityatthattime)butalso mentalhealthwasconsideredbyCerd,whothoughtofsunlightreceptionandaircirculationwhen orientatingstreetlayout,constructiondensityandavailabilityofgreenspaces,amongothers.The resultingsquareblockswouldnotbebuiltupcompletely,reservingsomespaceforinnerparksand gardensforthechildrenandelderly.Socialhealthwasalsoincludedintheanalysis,proposingthat ahomogeneousgridofstreetswouldpreventdifferencesinlandvalueandthusclasssegregation. Circulation:assuringthefluxofgoodsandpeoplewasakeyaspect,reasonwhyhegavegenerous dimensionstostreets.Alsoasapremonitionoftheriseofmotorizedvehicles,heincludedangled corners (chamfers), which would be necessary for preventing accidents at greater circulation speeds. Refurbishmentoftheexistingcity:theprinciplesguidingtherenewalplanweretoaffectalsothe oldcity.

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

Figure3:MapofCerdsexpansionplan,showingtheoriginaldispositionofconstructablelandperblock(Barcelona,2011).

Besidesthebasicorthogonalstreetgrid,someothermajorroadswereproposed.Someofthemobserved oldroadslayout,forexamplePasseigdeGrciawhichwasbuiltovertheoldroadconnectingBarcelonawith Grcia city located some kilometers northeast. Others followed existing infrastructure (namely railway tracks)orpretendedtoexpandtheeffectoftheplansguidingprinciplestotheoldcity,butnotallofthem werebuilt. In the end, the grid makes up the basic configuration of the urban space, and the avenues establish its territorialstructureandtherelationwiththemetropolitanregion. Thestreets,20mwide,providethesamespaceforvehicletrafficastheydoforpedestrians.Thegenerous spacefortraffichasallowedtheadaptationofdifferentmeansoftransportovertheyears,includingbus tracks,bicycletracksandpublicparkingspace(Busquets&Corominas,2009)(alsoseeChap.7,foto3).

2.3.THECITYEXPANSIONBEYONDLEIXAMPLE
The spacedelimited by LEixample was occupied at different speeds,with peaks intheperiod18591900, 1929 and 1970 (actually, the whole process didnt finish and continues now with the refurbishment in Poblenou).Themigrationtothecitiesphenomenaofthe20thcenturydidntoccuronlyinthecitycenterbut alsointheneighboringlocalities,ofcoursewiththesynergyofthecentralcity.Since1950,theproportionof Barcelona citys population in the metro region has fallen from 65% to nearly 35% in 2005 (Autoritat del TransportMetropolit,2009a). The disposition of initial towns, plus the geomorphologic conditions of the area resulted in present Barcelona metroregion (Fig4.), whose transportation needs derived in the emergence of urban corridors (Seemoreinchapter5).

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

Figure4:GeographicconfigurationandbasicdataonBarcelonasMetropolitanRegion(BMR)(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit, 2009a).

3.PRESENTDEMANDOFTRANSPORTATION
What is the reason for moving? The results of a regularyearly surveyon mobility inthecity ofBarcelona show that most of the travels are motivated by personal reasons, such as shopping, accompanying someone,selfrecreation,personalissues,medicalreasons,visitingafriendorfamily.Allthesecausessum up nearly 70% of the travels, being the rest work (almost 25%, the most important single factor) and attendingstudies(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2010). Workisthereforethelargesttransportmotivationofthecity.Regardingthedistributionofworkpositionsin thecityarea,isremarkableitshighconcentrationintheLEixampledistrictandsomeindustrialareassuchas theLlobregatsdeltaandtheunmatchingdistributionofpopulationinthesuburbs(Fig.5),generatingthe commutingofaroundtwomillionpeopletothecitycenterinthemorningwhothengobacktothesuburbs intheafternoon(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b)(Fig.6).Thisnumberdoesnotincludetheflux ofvehiclesofdifferentsizeusedforthesupplyofgoods.

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

Figure 5: Distribution of population (left, red dots), excluding Barcelona city, and work position (right, violet dots) over the Barcelonasmetropolitanregion.

Figure 6: Daily travels of individuals from the different sectors of Barcelona metropolitan region in 1996 (Autoritat del Transport Metropolit,2009b).

Table1:Totaltravels(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2011)N.b.:BCN:Barcelona,BMR:Barcelonametropolitanregion.

Travels ResidentsfromBCN Residentsfromthe restofMAB Total

BCNBCN 4.634.556 146.240 4.780.796

Var% 10/09 9,6% 4,8% 9,1%

BCNBMR 548.487 1.142.608 1.691.095

Var% 10/09 3,5% 2,1% 5,8%

Total 5.183.043 1.288.848 6.471.891

Var% 10/09 8,9% 2,4% 6,4%

% 80,1% 19,9% 100,0%

BARCELONASTRAFFICSYSTEMSANDCORRIDORS

4.PRESENTOFFEROFTRANSPORTATION
Thesolutiontothetransportationdemandisdeterminedbybarcelonesesdependingonthepurposeofthe mobilization, its length, the time available and the advantages offered by the different mass systems, betweenarelativelywidevarietyofoptionsBarcelonahas(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004). As a result of the high population concentration in the central district (LEixample) and the relatively favorableconditionsforwalking(seesection4.1below),agreatmajorityofthetransportneedsaresolved withnomotorizedtransportationinBarcelonacity,suchaswalkingorbicycleriding,whentravellinginside thecity.Forintercitytransportation,themotorizedvehiclestakeamorepredominantrole(Table2).
Table 2: Distribution and recent evolution of travel methods and specific composition of the private transportation typology (AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2011).N.b.:BCN:Barcelona,BMR:Barcelonametropolitanregion.

Methoddistribution NoMotortransportation Publictransportation Privatetransportation Privatetransportation Car Motorcycle Other

BCNBCN 55,4%(+3,0%) 29,5%(2,7%) 15,1%(0,3%) BCNBCN 56,1%(2,6) 41,8%(+1,5%) 2,1%(+1,1%)

BCNBMR 3,3%(+0,8%) 48,9%(+0,9%) 47,8%(1,7%) BCNBMR 85,5%(+0,5%) 11,8%(1,0%) 2,7%(+0,5%)

Total 41,7%(+3,2%) 34,6(2,0%) 23,7%(1,2%) Total 71,6%(+5,6) 26,0%(6,6%) 2,4%(+1,1%)

Theefficiencyofpublictransportationishigheratgreaterurbandensities.Barcelonaisnottheexception,as theFig.7shows.Formovementsinsidethecenter,mostusepublictransportation.However,fortravelling tothemuchmoreextensiveareaofthesuburbs,peoplechoosemorefrequentlyprivatetransportation(Fig. 7).

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Figure7:Usageofprivatetransportation(blue)andpublictransportation(green)intheinnerandconnectingtravels(Autoritatdel TransportMetropolit,2009b).

Thecharacteristicsofthedifferenttransportationtypesaredescribedinthefollowingsections.

4.1.NOMOTORIZEDTRANSPORTATION
PedestriantravellingisthesinglemostusedtransportationmethodinBarcelona(AjuntamentdeBarcelona, 2011;AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2010).Barcelonacountswithgoodconditionsforwalking,such asasoftreliefandcomfortableweather.Butthisisalsotheconsequenceofthedegreeofurbandensityand thediversityofactivities,allresultingintheconvenienceofwalking.Barcelonasgovernmentinvestsefforts in maintaining these factors or even improving them in order to encourage this sustainable and healthy methodoftransport(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).Thefactorsconstrainingthepedestriansare: Security: Especially in the interaction with other transport methods. Pedestrians are involved in morethan15%ofroadaccidentsinthecity. Availability of space: often construction sites and commercial terraces and activities invade the publicspacepreventingfluidityinthefluxofpeople.

Bicycle is the other component of nomotorized transportation. Is the fastest growing method in the last years.Thecitycountswithaprivatelyownedfleetofaround210.000bicycles,fromwhich40.000areused everyday.Thecitysgovernmentseesinbicyclesoneofthebestwaystoimprovetheenvironmentalissues ofcurrenttransportsystem(seechapter6).Theimplementedstrategiesinordertodosoar: Anetworkof128km(andgrowing)ofspecialbicycletracks(Fig.8).

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Increasingtheavailabilityofbicycleparkingspaces. Allowingthecombinationofbicyclewithotherpublictransportsystems,suchasmetroandtrains. Implementation of the Bicing system. Initiated in 2007, provides residents with publiclyowned bicyclesforfreeuse(withinayearlycontract).Thebicycles(nearly3000in2008)aredistributedin 194stations,generating28.000dailymovements(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).

Figure8:Networkofspecialbicycletracks.

4.2.TRANSPORTATIONINMOTORIZEDPRIVATEOWNEDVEHICLES
Barcelonaisnottheexceptiontotheuniversalizationofcarsinmoderncities,whichtookovertheurban space. Their contribution with pollution and noise frequently overshadows the advantages they provide. Though a very flexible and versatile transport tool, cars are severely spaceinefficient. Barcelona destines 20%ofitsareatoholdmobilityinfrastructuresuchasroads,avenues,etc.(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004). Car congestion in the city is frequently mentioned in reports about sustainable transport (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2004) but they offer no more specific information about this problem. On the other hand,the metroareawassubjecttomoreintensivestudiesofthecoststothegovernmentandsocietyingeneralof trafficjams,asisshowedelaboratelybyAbada&Pineda(2007).

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Thisstudyincludesalsotheresultsofasurveyonthereasonsfornotusingacarasatransportationmethod. Theimpossibilityoffindingparkingplaceisthemostfrequentlyusedargument.Thesecondreasonisthat thepublicmasstransitsystemisverycomfortable(answeredbyalmost50%ofinterviewees).Probablyas aconsequenceofthis,theprivatelyownedfleetofcarsisinaslowdecreasesincelastyears(Table3).

Table3:Compositionandevolutionofprivateownedvehiclefleet(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2011).

Typeofvehicles Total Cars Motorcycles Motorbikes,Mopeds Vans Trucks Othervehicles

2007 991.151 617.022 184.888 93.783 42.234 31.257 21.967

2008 990.166 608.830 193.902 93.382 38.968 30.131 24.953

2009 981.903 599.534 199.407 90.934 36.175 28.520 27.333

2010 981.580 597.618 205.705 88.391 33.451 27.006 29.409

% 100,0 60,9 21,0 9,0 3,4 2,8 3,0

Var% 10/07 1,0 3,1 11,3 5,7 20,8 13,6 33,9

Var% 10/09 0,0 0,3 3,2 2,8 7,5 5,3 7,6

Theactiontakenbythecitytoimprovethecirculationofvehicleswastheestablishmentofroadhierarchies to enhance vehicle circulation (Fig. 9). As a result, over 21% of the road network holds 68% of the traffic(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).Furthermore,nearly25kmofbeltwayrouteshavebeendeveloped, overwhichcirculates19,5%ofthetraffic(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).

Figure9:Hierarchyofroadnetwork(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).

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Hierarchyisalsovisibleintheregionalscale(Fig.9).

Figure10:RoadnetworkintheBarcelonametropolitanregion.N.b.:Bluelines:highway;Greylines:preferentialroads;Redlines: Basicroads;Greenlines:Localroads.

The difficulties of driving cars have caused the fleet of twowheel vehicles (motorcycles, motorbikes, mopeds) to play an important role (see Chap. 7, foto 4). Barcelona is actually the city of Europe with the highestrelationmotorcycleperperson(withavalueof65,comparedwith58inAthens,42inRome,27in Madridand18inBerlin)(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004).Thisphenomenaisseenwithcautiouseyesby theauthorities,becausethoughmoreefficientintheuseofspace,motorcyclesincreasetheCO2emissions andespeciallynoiselevel.

4.3.TRANSPORTATIONINMASSTRANSITSYSTEMS
The public transportation is composed of several typologies: metro, buses, suburban trains, taxis and tramway.

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Table4:Composition,usageandadministrationofBarcelonasmainmasstransitsystems(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004,2011). N.b.:n.a.:datanotavailable.

System

Infrastructure(2003)

Transportdemand (millionyearly travels,2010) 381 189

Administrator

Metro TMBBuses

6lines,123stations,87kmof tracks,581wagons,118trains 104lines,890kmofroutes,2.353 stops,102kmofspecialbus tracks,1.010vehicles(908with airconditioning) n.a. 10.486vehicles 4lines 2lines,13stations,7kmtracks, 151wagons,43trains Trambaix(3lines,25stations); Trambess(1linea,14stations)

TransportsMetropolitansde Barcelona(TMB) TransportsMetropolitansde Barcelona(TMB)

Otherbuses Taxis Suburbantrains (RENFERodalies) Suburbantrains(FGC) Tramway Total

138 n.a. 104 80 23 916

Privateoperators Privateoperators RedNacionaldelos RerrocarrilesEspaoles(RENFE) FerrocarrilesdelaGeneralidad deCatalua(FGC) TransportsMetropolitansde Barcelona(TMB)

Themetronetwork,openedin1924,coverspracticallyallthecity,serving74%ofpopulationaccordingto thecitystransportauthority(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b;Fig.11),anditsexpanding:anew lineisbeingbuilt(L9)andthreearebeingextended(L2,L4,L5).

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Figure11:extensionofthemetronetwork(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b).Thevioletareashowsthedistanceofupto 500mfromastation.

One significant improvement the metro network requires is the improvement of offer/demand relation, considering the saturation of some of the lines (especially lines 1 and 5 in the morning) (Ajuntament de Barcelona,2008;Fig.12).

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Figure 12: Metro network intensity of use (Autoritat del Transport Metropolit, 2009b). N.b.: The thicker line in the reference represents150.000dailypassengers.

Trainservicesprovidethegreatestshareofintercitytransportation.Theirlayoutcorrelateswiththeurban corridors(seeChapter5).

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Figure13:CoverageoftheRodalies(proximity)suburbantrains,operatedbyRENFE(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b).

Figure14:CoverageofGeneralitat(FGC)trains(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b).

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Figure15:Intensityofuseofthesuburbantrainnetwork(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009b).N.b:Thethickerlineinthe referencerepresents150.000dailypassengers.

Busnetworkisextensiveandmuchmoreversatile,thoughitslimitedinthemetroareaforitsharesroads withnormaltraffic,originatingdelays.Travelbybusmaytakemorethanthedoubleoftime(whentravelling tothemetroarea)thandoingthattripbycar(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit,2009a). Tramwaylineswereopenedin2003inanattempttorecoverthistypeoftransportation. Bothwithbusservice,thissystemsareseenastheidealsystemsforshorttraveldemand,andforelderly.

5.THEMETROAREAANDCORRIDORS
ThemetropolizationisanewchallengeBarcelonahasfacedsincethemid20thCenturyandtheemergence ofcarsasthemainprivatetransportationmethod. TeparticulargeomorphologicsituationofBarcelonaoriginatedcorridors(Fig.16).

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Figure 16: The relief as the main factor defining the configuration of urban corridors (modified from Autoritat del Transport Metropolit,2009a)

Theroadnetworkreflectthesecorridors(Fig.10)andalsodosuburbantrains(Figs.13,14).

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Figure 17: Intensity of use of the road network in the metropolitan area (Autoritat del Transport Metropolit, 2009b). N.b.: The circlesrepresentpopulationcenters(lightgreen,lessthan50.000inhabitants;brown,more);Thegradedcolorscalerepresentdaily fluxofvehicles.

The metro region is also the area having to deal with largesized vehicles, which serve several industrial areas such as Llobregat rivers delta, and whose entrance to the central area is banned, following the transportauthorityspolicyofintermodality,thatis,theuseofdifferentsizedvehiclesdependindtheareaof circulation.

6.ENVIRONMENTALEXTERNALITIES

6.1.POLLUTION
OneofBarcelonasmoreimportantenvironmentalproblemsisairpollution,beingitssinglebiggestsource private vehicles. In 2007 a report indicated an average concentration of toxic particles putting the city in worstconditionsthanotherevenbiggercitiessuchasNewYork,MexicoCityandTokyo(Simonis,2010).

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Inreaction,restrictionswereimposedespeciallyinthemaximumcirculationofvehicleswithgoodresults. However, the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is increasing, probably from the increase in diesel poweredvehicles.

6.2.ENERGYEFFICIENCYANDCO2EMISSIONS
SpainhassignedandratifiedtheKyotoProtocolofreductionofgreenhousegas(GHG)emission.According to its level of development when the Protocol was designed, Spain is classified as an Annex I country, meaningitmustreduceitsemissionstoalevelbelowthoseof1990,althoughtheredistributionofemission permissions inside the European Union allowed Spain to reach an increase of 15% (Novak, Tanizaki, & Badiani,2005).Themoderationorreductionofemissionwouldbeachievedviarealreductionsorpurchase ofcarboncreditsinthecarbonmarket Simultaneously, transportation is expected to be the economic sector with the largest share of GHG emission in the country. This sector is far from reaching its emission reduction targets (Autoritat del TransportMetropolit,2006).Inconsequence,thissectorissubjecttoseriousattentioninthenationalplans ofemissionreduction. SpecificallyinBarcelona,transportationisthelargestenergyconsumer,withalmost43%,generatingalmost 2millionstonesofCO2annually(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004).Fromthisshareofenergy,carsconsume upto90%,unveiling the inefficiencyofprivate motorized transportation:carsprovide33% of the travels, butconsume90%oftheenergy.Intheotherhand,metroprovides13%ofthetransportationandconsumes only3,86%oftheenergy(AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008). For that reason, pedestrian and bicycle transit is being stimulated with the expansion of special tracks, provisionofbicycles,etc.(seesection4.1).

6.3.NOISE
InBarcelona,openingofthebeltway(circumvallation)roads,improvementofthepavementinstreetsand moredemandingcarcontrolshavehelpedcurbingnoisepollution.However,problemswithnoisepersistin manyplacesofthecity.Approximately50%ofBarcelonasurbanspacereceivenoiseofover65dBalongthe day,and35%ofpopulationlivesinzoneswherethislimitisexceeded(AutoritatdelTransportMetropolit, 2006).Itisknownthatmotorvehiclesgeneratemorethan80%ofthenoise. Inastudyofthenoiseemissionoverthecitysroadnetwork(Fig.18),isvisiblethatthenoiseleveldidnt increase in the city center since the eighties, but it has increased in the beltways instead. Probably the congestioninthecenteravoidsnoisetoincreaseevenfurther.

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Figure 18: Evolution of noise levels measured in the road network. N.b.: the measured parameter was average daily intensity of noise, though is not possible to identify the units in the original. The graph is showed anyway for graphical interpretation. (AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2008).

6.4.SECURITY
Thecollisionbetweenvehiclesandknockingdownarethemostfrequenttypesofaccidentsinthecity,being more than 80% of the total. The rest of the accidents are related with crashes to obstacles, knocking or falling motorcycles. In beltways, knocking with the vehicle in front is the cause of 55% of the accidents (AjuntamentdeBarcelona,2004).

7.FROMTHEFIELD:OBSERVATIONSAFTERVISITINGTHECITY

WemadeavisittothecitywiththeR.U.M.coursebetween14thand16thDecember,2011.Ipersonallyhad arrivedthreedaysearlier. My first and main finding after arriving to Barcelona was the easiness of moving around with public transportation.Actually,duringourtriptothecityandmypreviousstay,Iandlaterthegroupdidntusea gasolinemotorizedvehicleatanytime,thoughitsalsotruethatthetripsactivitieswereconcentratedin thecentraldistrict.Yetallthemobilizationweneeded,thepublicnetworkprovidedinamuchsatisfactory way. Followingaresomefieldnoteswithfotos.

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Foto

Comment 1. Ciutat Vella (Old city) and LEixample: This is Via Laietana, a Cerdlike road in the middleofahistoricdistrict.Mostcarssimply passthrough:lotsofnoiseandsmoke.

2. Ciutat Vella: in this case Barcino, and its relation with modernity. In the morning, hoardsofvansfillitsplazasandlimitedopen spacesinordertosupplyshopsaroundthem.

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3.Modern LEixample:Thechamferedcorners offeraversatilespaceforcarandmotorcycle parking and/or garbage tones. The bicycle tracksarerallyfrequentlypresent.

4. Modern LEixample: A regular street. High presence of motorcycles. At no moment trafficseemedcongested.

5. Modern LEixample: The wider Carrer de Aragworksasapotenttraffictube.These avenuesareusedforlonghauls,socarspass throughasfastaspossible.

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6. Modern LEixample: new bicycle tracks have their share even through the stylish PasseigdeGraca.

7.Transportoffer:Bicingstationsarereally alloverthecity

8.andtheyarereallybeingused.

9.Transportoffer:themetro.Thesametype of tickets available in metro is valid for tram andbuses.

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10. Transportoffer: the Tram, covering areas newlydeveloped.

8.CONCLUSIONS
Barcelona is the jewel in the urban regeneration field. () Barcelona is a city that, quite simply,works. Arch.LordRichardRogers,Thefragmentedcityandtheroleofthearchitect. Eventhoughconflictspersist(actually,woulditbepossiblenothavingconflictsatall?),theoutstandingfact inBarcelonaishowithasproactivelyworkedtosolveandpreventthem,especiallyfromthefieldofurban planning: Theconcentrationandchokingenvironmentofthecityin18thcenturywassolvedwithLEixamples innovativeapproachofhuge(fortheparametersofthattime)spaceformobility. After the success of LEixamples, the city faced car congestion, noise and air pollution. The city rapidlyrespondeddiversifyingandexpandingthetransportationoffer,speciallywithmetro. Thechallengesofpresenttimesarethoserelatedtoenvironmentalissues.Thecitysintentionisto increasetheroomfornotmotorizedtransportation(pedestriansandbicycleriders),anddiminish thecarbonintensityoftodayssystem.

Thestrengthofplanningeffortshasnotdiminished.Currentlythreemainguidingplanswereadopted:the UrbanMobilityPlan(specificforBarcelonacity),theRegionalmobilityplan(metroarea),andthePactfor MobilityinBarcelona(whichisaparticipativeinstanceandalsocoverallthemetroarea). Inanycase,itseemsthattheresponsibilityanddestinyofBarcelonaistoovercomeitself.Thesuccessin someaspectsmustbeusedasanimpulseforotherobjectives.

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9.CITEDLITERATURE
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