Barcelona's massive new 'super blocks' will ban cars

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1 Data: 13/06/2016 Títol: Barcelona s massive new super blocks will ban cars Mitjà: Tech Insider URL: 16/6/2016 Barcelona plans 'super blocks' to fight traffic and pollution Tech Insider Barcelona's massive new 'super blocks' will ban cars LEANNA GARFIELD JUN. 13, 2016, 11:53 AM An aerial shot of Eixample, a district in Barcelona. Alamy Starting in 2017, most cars will no longer be welcome in downtown Barcelona. The city plans to create "super blocks" that combine 12 city blocks together into pedestrian friendly mini grids. Car traffic will be exiled from up to 120 intersections, with drivers forced to go around the outside. On the designated blocks, pedestrians and cyclists will have priority the only cars allowed will be those belonging to local residents, who will need to drive at slow speeds. In the plan's diagram below, non residents' cars are restricted to the black lines. plans super blocks to fight traffic and pollution /6

2 Agéncia d'ecologia Urbana de Barcelona The "super blocks" will take up 60% of Barcelona's roads, the project's director, Salvador Rueda, tells Tech Insider. The idea is to give pedestrians priority on the city's streets. The project is getting $10 million in funding from Barcelona's government, and will create the first "super blocks" in the Sant Martí district. To help people travel without cars, the plan also calls for 124 more miles of bike lanes. plans super blocks to fight traffic and pollution /6

3 Agéncia d'ecologia Urbana de Barcelona By limiting car traffic, the plan will help reduce the air pollution that currently plagues the city. In recent years, Barcelona has surpassed the pollution limits set by Spain's government, Rueda says. About 1,200 deaths a year (from asthma attacks, bronchitis, and heart issues) could be prevented in Barcelona by adhering to the recommended levels, according to a study from Barcelona's local Environmental Epidemiology Agency. Rueda estimates that the "super blocks" will lower pollution levels nearly three fold. plans super blocks to fight traffic and pollution /6

4 A street in Barcelona. David Andrés Argomedo According to Rueda, the plan will only require minimal changes to the city's streets most involve designating certain roads for local traffic. But in Eixample, a district of Barcelona that borders Sant Martí, many of the streets already follow a layout that looks a lot like the city's new plan. In the late 19th century, urban planner Ildefons Cerdà created a hauntingly similar grid design for the region. This pedestrian centric approach is still alive in the district today, Rueda says. Eixample includes hundreds of blocks of mini districts, and traffic flow revolves around them. plans super blocks to fight traffic and pollution /6

5 An aerial view of Eixample, Barcelona. Wikipedia Commons For this reason, the new plan will hardly require any changes to the existing roads there the team just needs to change some street signals and road lines, Rueda says. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people already live in each 160,000 square foot "super block" area, so the plan will create much more open, green space for them, Rueda says. Since each one could rival the size of a small town, foot traffic will take the wheel. Rueda's team would like to make the blocks even bigger someday, if they can secure a larger budget. "But for the first phase, banning the cars should be enough," he says. plans super blocks to fight traffic and pollution /6