The report, prepared by the company Gea21- Grup d'Estudis i Alternatives, outlines a significant transformation for two of the city's main access routes. The objective is to decrease the presence of private vehicles and allocate more space and preference to pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport, following the concept of the "inverted pyramid of sustainable mobility".
The central proposal for Barcelona Road is the creation of a traffic "funnel" from south to north. As the road approaches the urban center, the space designated for private vehicles would be progressively reduced, increasing the area reserved for other modes of transport. This strategy is based on the premise that reducing car capacity does not necessarily lead to collapse but can induce changes in habits and divert traffic towards more sustainable alternatives.
The suggested actions are low-cost, as they are limited to interventions such as signage, painting, and urban furniture, without requiring major civil works in this phase. Among the specific measures, the study proposes the elimination of a northbound lane in the section between the future Institut Ermessenda and Plaça Salvador Dalí to create a bus lane and complete the cycling infrastructure.
Furthermore, in the section between Plaça Salvador Dalí and Passeig d'Olot, the proposal is to reduce private circulation to one lane per direction, widen the western sidewalk, and implement a bidirectional bike lane. The study also highlights pedestrian deficiencies, such as the lack of urbanized sidewalk between Clínica Girona and El Corte Inglés, and the need to increase tree planting in the northern half of the axis to improve climatic comfort.
In the short term, two alternatives are proposed to initiate the transformation. One includes prohibiting northbound traffic on Ronda Ferran Puig and creating a bidirectional bike lane. The other option adds the conversion of the western carriageway of Plaça Marquès de Camps into a pedestrian space, breaking the continuity of private traffic in that area.
