Badly parked motorbikes on pavements down by 70% in Vila de Gràcia
The campaign “Barcelona, Pedestrian City” was launched in 2020 to foster better accessibility and safe journeys on foot by reducing the number of motorbikes parked on pavements in different parts of the city. In Vila de Gràcia, there were over 2,000 motorbikes in breach of regulations and parked on pavements. To redress this situation and reorganise parking, a series of steps were taken to make people aware of the regulations before notifying and fining them for infringements. Since 2020, and thanks to these steps, the number of badly parked motorbikes usually found in the Vila de Gràcia neighbourhood has dropped by 70% and the number of them infringing the regulations now stands at around 600.
The steps taken to reduce the number of badly parked motorbikes on pavements began with an information stage explaining the regulations and the parking alternatives in the neighbourhood. This was followed by a notification stage, alerting users of bikes infringing the regulations, and finally the City Police started issuing fines and removing badly parked vehicles.
In parallel, an additional 116 new parking spaces have been created on road surfaces, vertical signage has been bolstered in 12 streets and options to park motorbikes in public car parks in the neighbourhood have also been promoted.
Where can you park if you’re using a motorbike?
Motorbike riders must use specific parking places indicated in road surfaces. There are over 70,000 of these.
Motorbikes can also be parked in diagonal rows on the pavement if there is at least 6 metres for others to get past, and in parallel rows if that space is between 3 and 6 metres. It is prohibited to park motorbikes on pavements with less than 3 metres of space for others to get past.
Users should also bear in mind there must be a minimum distance of 2 metres between a parked motorbike and pedestrian crossings or bus-stops, whether the vehicle is parked on the pavement or the road surface.
