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Some Urban Observations from My Barcelona Vacation

1:08 PM PDT on July 7, 2022

Barcelona is a great place to get around on foot, bike, and transit. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

Last month, my family and I vacationed for a week in Barcelona. I don’t claim to be an expert on Barcelona, but moving through the city I observed various things that I think might be interesting to SBLA readers. This piece is not an attempt to compile a comprehensive survey of best practices from Barcelona, but just some observations that might be applicable to improving Southern California transportation-wise. If you're interested, check out my earlier similar posts exploring Italian and Mexican cities.

Barcelona is the most walkable, most transit-oriented, and most bikeable place I've ever been to.

As with many places around the world, Barcelona is quite a bit more compact than Los Angeles. Barcelona has a population of 1.6 million, in an urbanized area home to around 4.8 million people. For comparison, L.A. City has about 4 million, and the greater urbanized area here about 12 million. Barcelona's 1.6 million residents live in a 39-square-mile area (roughly 8 miles by 5 miles - about half the size of Long Beach), giving it a population density around 41,000 people per square mile. In contrast, the city of Los Angeles' 4 million residents are spread over 469 square miles, with a density around 8,500 people per square mile.

We spent time in the most touristy areas closer to the coast, which are mostly very flat. The city gets somewhat hillier inland.

Below are my observations:

Putting Pedestrians in the Center of the Street: Ramblas and the Like

Barcelona has a street type that I didn't expect could work as well as it does - and it works phenomenally well there. Many Barcelona streets feature a wide pedestrian area in the central median. Most I saw appear to be around 30 to 50 feet wide (some even wider) right in the middle of the street! The central walk areas are tree-lined, and often have benches, vendors, outdoor seating areas, transit stops, mini-parks, public art, etc.

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Barcelona's La Rambla: a broad tree-lined central median supports people on foot, while cars are limited narrow one-way one-lane areas on each side. Photo by Ralf Roletschek via Wikipedia
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These broad walk streets are not the most common street type in Barcelona, but are more the landmark streets here and there. They aren't out-of-the-way walk paths (like places where many Angelenos drive to walk: Silver Lake Reservoir or Culver City Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook stairs) either; Barcelona's walk streets are typically the main popular commercial/retail streets for their neighborhood.

The walk street configurations vary quite a bit; many of these broad walk areas are flanked by relatively narrow one-way car lanes. Cars are allowed on the street, but are kept to a fairly narrow marginal space along the edges. Pedestrians easily cross the single narrow car lane to get to shops along the street. Some of these streets are flanked by light rail, some by bike lanes, some by a couple car lanes.

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One of Barcelona's walk priority streets. I think this is Avinguda Diagonal (not sure). This street features a wide central walk area then, moving outward, each side features a one-way bike lane, a row of trees, light rail (grass area), three lanes of traffic (two general purpose, one bus lane), and a wide sidewalk.
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Another Barcelona walk priority street. I think this is Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (not sure). This street features a wide central walk area, then moving outward, each side features: two rows of trees, protected bike lane (protected by so-called 'armadillos' type speed bumps), two lanes of traffic, and then a wide sidewalk.
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Many of these wide pedestrian priority streets are called "ramblas." There is the main La Rambla - the most prominent street in the older part of the city - and also various smaller ramblas in neighborhoods.

We stayed very near the Rambla del Poblenou, one of the smaller neighborhood ramblas. Our stretch of the Rambla del Poblenou featured a ~30-foot wide walk median flanked by two one-way bike lanes. No cars.

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Barcelona's Rambla del Poblenou configuration varies, but this stretch features ~30 feet of tree-lined walk median - with dining and seating - flanked by one-way bike lanes and sidewalks.
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My wife and 8-year-old daughter biking along the Rambla del Poblenou.
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With so much pedestrian activity, cyclists on the Rambla del Poblenou aren't speed racers, but included many parents shuttling their kids.
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Woman and child bicycling on Rambla del Poblenou

Extensive Transit Networks

We got around mostly by bicycle, but on our first day in Barcelona, we had a positive experience just getting around via the subway and walking.

Barcelona's transit system is ridiculously extensive. There are about a dozen subway lines, plus light rail, frequent buses, many running in bus lanes.

Barcelona's rail map. Note that this shows an area a bit smaller than the city of Long Beach.
Barcelona's rail system map. Note that this shows an area a bit smaller than the city of Long Beach.
Barcelona's rail map. Note that this shows an area a bit smaller than the city of Long Beach.

Trains arrived very frequently, making transfers very easy.

Subway in Barcelona
Subway in Barcelona.
Subway in Barcelona
Onboard a Barcelona subway. Riders can walk between cars, which helps minimize crowding.
Onboard a Barcelona subway. Riders can walk between cars, which helps minimize crowding.
Onboard a Barcelona subway. Riders can walk between cars, which helps minimize crowding.
I didn't ride the bus in Barcelona (mostly bicycled), but observed plenty of plenty of people using them. Many bus stops featured boarding platforms.
I didn't ride the bus in Barcelona, but observed plenty of plenty of people using them. Many bus stops featured boarding platforms.
I didn't ride the bus in Barcelona (mostly bicycled), but observed plenty of plenty of people using them. Many bus stops featured boarding platforms.

Extensive Bikeway Network

On our second day in town, my wife, 8-year-old daughter, and I rented bicycles. We initially rented them for a day, figuring that we would just explore a bit. After just a day, we were convinced that bikes made the most sense for us, so we extended the rentals for our entire stay. (If you're in the Poblenou neighborhood, I can recommend renting at Bike to Deliver, though there are quite a few bike rental places, as well as lots of city bike-share bikes available.)

Map of Barcelona bikeways - via city bike-share app.
Map of Barcelona bikeways - via city's bike-share app. Red lines are protected bike lanes. Bicycling is also easy in the oldest part of the city (lower left, where image has "Barcelona") which is mostly car-free streets. In the inland areas (upper left) the streets are steeper and not as conducive to bicycling.
Map of Barcelona bikeways - via city bike-share app.

The city has implemented a protected bike lane network that extends through nearly all of the flatter area within 2-3 miles of the coast. The exception to this is the oldest part of the city - the Gothic Quarter - which is even more bikable, as it's mostly narrow car-free streets shared by pedestrians and slow-moving cyclists. These very old streets don't support a cyclist racing through at 20+ miles per hour, but work really well for intermittent cyclists who slow down and maneuver among pedestrians.

We found we could get most tourist destinations (beach, restaurants, shopping, Gaudi buildings, etc.) easily, quickly, and safely by bike.

In the oldest part of Barcelona, narrow walk streets are shared by pedestrians and relatively slow-moving cyclists.
In the oldest part of Barcelona, narrow walk streets are shared by pedestrians and relatively slow-moving cyclists
In the oldest part of Barcelona, narrow walk streets are shared by pedestrians and relatively slow-moving cyclists.
FedEx cargo bike in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter
FedEx cargo e-bike in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter
FedEx cargo bike in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter
Many smaller car streets are designated
Many smaller car streets (this is a one-lane one-way street in the Gothic Quarter) have 30 kilometer per hour speed limits - roughly 19 miles per hour - so are easily shared by cyclists and drivers.
Many smaller car streets are designated
A fairly common design found throughout the gridded parts of Barcelona: two-way protected bike lanes along one-way streets
A fairly common design found throughout the gridded parts of Barcelona: two-way protected bike lanes along one-way streets - somewhat similar to Spring and Main Streets in downtown Los Angeles.
A fairly common design found throughout the gridded parts of Barcelona: two-way protected bike lanes along one-way streets
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The two-way protected bikeway allows cyclists to get around easily. Bicycling ends up being more convenient than driving, as cyclists get two-way streets where drivers have just one-ways.
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In a few locations, including Passeig Pujades, two-way protected bikeways run alongside a counterflow vehicle lane restricted for just buses, taxis, and scooters.
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Barcelona has a heavily used extensive bike-share system
Barcelona has a heavily used extensive bike-share system
Barcelona has a heavily used extensive bike-share system
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In some places, including Passeig de Sant Joan shown here, protected bike lanes were located in the middle of the street. This street also has bus-only lanes.
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Barcelona bikeways have their own bike signals.
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Bike signal at an intersection where a protected bike lane meets a light rail line.
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At Barcelona bikeway intersections, bike signals indicate different status for different directions
Where multiple Barcelona bikeways intersect, bike signals indicate different statuses for different directions.
At Barcelona bikeway intersections, bike signals indicate different status for different directions
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Not bike, but signal-related: Barcelona crosswalk signals near schools show an image of a child walking alongside an adult.
Not bike, but signal-related: Barcelona crosswalk signals near schools show an image of a child walking alongside an adult
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A tour guide leads a group of cyclists through an intersection of multiple bikeways and a light rail tracks
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Superblocks

In the last half-decade, Barcelona has been implementing a new livability feature called a "superilla" or "superblock." Superblocks feature quick-build tactical-urbanism improvements to further limit where drivers can go, hence decreasing cut-through traffic and making the already walkable city even better for walking and bicycling. For the most part, car traffic is shunted to outskirts of the nine-block area. Drivers can access most of the inside of the superblock, but in many places are diverted from cutting directly through it.

Map of Barcelona's Poblenou superblock
Map of Barcelona's Poblenou superblock (green) - via Bicycle Dutch
Map of Barcelona's Poblenou superblock

Apologies that I only briefly checked out the Poblenou Superilla - the city's first superblock. One morning, we biked through it to get to our destination. My anecdotal observation is that is was definitely a traffic-calmed space, but (at least at the point we briefly experienced it) less activated than the ramblas and similar pedestrian priority streets described above.

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Barcelona's Superilla Poblenou includes quick-build features: paint and large planters. Sculptural concrete disks act as bollards.
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Barcelona Superilla Poblenou: planters, paint, and benches foster space easily shared by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
Barcelona super-block. Photo by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

Barcelona's food, architecture, beaches, museums, shops are all great too - but that's another story.

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