News
Fewer cars moving around the city this year
posted 31/01/2007 at 16:57 h.
The most popular means for getting around the city of Barcelona on work days is by public transport (31.3%) and by bike or on foot (49.7%), with private transport only reaching 19%, according to the last mobility survey (EMEF) 2006.
"In most cities, private transport is much more common", said Carme Miralles, director of the Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, "which indicates that the city as a sustainable transport model".
For private transport motor bikes reach a figure of 41.2%, with cars representing 56.3%: the figure for car use is on the decline, while the use of motor bikes has increased by 23.7% in the city, which, according to the Councillor for Mobility, Ferran Julián, "favours mobility". There has also been a decrease of 13% in traffic in Àrea Verda parking zones.
Figures are very different in the Barcelona metropolitan area, with 37% of daily journeys using private transport (32% by car), and only 19,6% using public transport, although 42.8% are on foot (42%) or by bike.
In the surrounding areas, public transport is more commonly used in the Barcelonès (29.8%), Baix Llobregat (14,3%) and the Vallès Occidental (11%).
Women more likely to use public transport than men
Women (22.6%) use public transport more often than men (16.3%) as well as getting around on foot or by bike (48.9% women, 36.3% men), while 47.4% of men use private transport, compared to 28.5% of women. Young people are also most likely to use public transport.
Personal reasons are the main motive for travelling around the region (32.2%), rather than for work or study (23.1%).
The survey also reveals that 88.7% of journeys are made from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the major concentration between 5 and 8 p.m.
The survey excluded vehicles for professional use (taxis, deliveries, etc.) which is a total of 18,350 individuals (4,122 resident in Barcelona).
The Secretary for Mobility in the Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works, Manel Nadal, commented that public transport in Barcelona was good, but bus services to suburban regions in the metropolitan area should be improved. He went on to say that there should be more car parks outside the city where people could leave their cars and use public transport to come into the city.
Nadal indicated that a good solution would be to create a network for buses and those cars with passengers, and even reduce tolls on motorways for private vehicles with passengers, rather than just the driver.