On foot
The everyday activity of travelling on foot is very beneficial to our health, and is also the most economic, efficient and equitable way of travelling, with zero pollution.
Walking is the most organic, universal method of transport that is hard-wired into all human beings. Every day, in Barcelona, we make around 2.5 million journeys on foot, a figure that represents over 30% of the total number of journeys in the city.
Nearly half of all the city residents get around the city on foot and we should remember that, regardless of how we usually travel, all of us walk somewhere at some point in the day.
In Barcelona, we walk along pavements with well-signalled pedestrian crossings, we travel through pedestrian-only zones, we make use of one-platform streets or the peace of 30-zones, we ascend on escalators or in lifts in mountain neighbourhoods, and we stroll through parks and gardens in the shade of over 250,000 roadside trees, enjoying the city to the beat of our footsteps.
Traffic must be calmed and the safe surface area for pedestrians must be increased in order to improve safety, air quality, health and community life.
Safe and active mobility offers us comfort and contributes to making the city healthier for ourselves and for future generations.
More information
The priority: pedestrians
Streets that are accessible to everyone
Barcelona has elements that guarantee the accessibility of its streets and public spaces and make it a pleasant city for pedestrians of all ages and physical conditions.
Pedestrian steps with ramps, routings for people with visual impairments, acoustic traffic lights, one-platform streets, wide pavements, etc.: guaranteeing accessibility in the city of Barcelona is a joint task for all the municipal departments involved in the planning, design and management of public space.
Protecting the elderly
Elderly people are one of the most vulnerable groups of public highway users. Travel respectfully through the streets of the city, and give them special care and respect.
Mobility advice for those travelling on foot
- Always walk on the pavement. Do not walk in bicycle lanes or on roads.
- Obey traffic lights.
- Always cross the road at pedestrian crossings.
- You must take more care at pedestrian crossings without traffic lights.
- Pay particular attention to vehicles that are turning at junctions.
BCN, city of pedestrians
Barcelona is a city of pedestrians. The aim is to reduce the number of accidents by appealing to the different groups of users of the public space (pedestrians, drivers and cyclists) and remembering that pedestrians always have priority on the streets.
Road safety and reduction in the accident rate is one the main objectives of mobility planning.