In the heart of the Rías Baixas, land of legends and meigas, is the city of Pontevedra. Cobbled streets, squares, churches and old stately country houses that recall the splendor of bygone eras make up a pedestrian-friendly city that invites you to stroll and stop in all its corners.
In 1999, a transformation process began in Pontevedra that would make this small Galician city an international benchmark in urban planning and sustainable mobility policies. The objective was clear: “we were not considering improving traffic, because if you make it easier to circulate by car, you will end up using more people in the end. Our priority was to improve people’s quality of life ”, explained Miguel Anxo, mayor of Pontevedra, in an informative conference on pollution and health organized by the Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR).
Eliminate unnecessary traffic
One of the first resolutions that were taken was the almost total elimination of traffic through the historic center: ” 30% of the vehicles in the center were simply passing through the city, ” explained Anxo, who also referred to another type traffic, the ‘agitation traffic’: these are cars that are circulating to find parking. The solution that was taken was to establish a free car park with 2,500 spaces on the outskirts of the city, so that people who come from other towns can park and walk about ten minutes to the center of Pontevedra. In addition, there are about 4,000 spaces in private underground parking and 500 spaces on the surface to carry out arrangements of less than 15 minutes.
The result: only the minimum necessary cars circulate in the historic center of the city, which coexist with the circulation of bicycles (almost all streets have a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour and life-saving speed bumps have been installed). ” The cars necessary for a city to function are far fewer than we think , and they are not incompatible with pedestrians and with a higher quality of life,” reflected Anxo.
A change of priorities
Faced with the current urban planning model, in which motor traffic monopolizes public spaces, the managers of this small Galician city have proposed a change of priorities that is reflected in a pyramid whose top is pedestrians and people with mobility reduced , followed by bicycles, public transport and, finally, the private vehicle.
The logic is overwhelming: having a car does not give you the right to occupy public space: “ Why do I have to have a space to park my car on the street? If you took out a refrigerator or a sofa and put it on the street, people would throw their hands at their heads. Or if I bought a cow and had it tied to a lamppost… ”, said the mayor. And it is that, from this perspective, it does not seem understandable that children have little room to play, or the elderly to move comfortably, because almost all the space is occupied by cars.
Practically all the streets of Pontevedra are accessible to people with reduced mobility, a measure that follows this logic: ” If the space is adapted to those who have the most difficulties, the city is more comfortable for everyone .”
Less pollution, more health
In Spain, 3% of annual mortality is attributable to air pollution, which causes serious health problems, including pneumonia, respiratory infections or lung cancer . The reduction of traffic in cities improves the quality of the air that is breathed, and also has associated another series of ‘collateral’ effects, such as the decrease in the use of fossil fuels, thus limiting the greenhouse effect emissions that contribute to climate change.
In addition, the limitation for the use of private vehicles forces citizens to seek other ways of getting around that are usually healthier: walking or cycling to work and running errands avoids sedentary lifestyle , in addition to being cheaper.
Use your own energy to move
When traffic is reduced, the streets become safer and friendlier spaces to move around on foot or by bike. Only the necessary cars circulate in the city (garages, deliveries, supplies, emergencies …), and the streets designed for walking encourage healthier mobility. In Pontevedra, seven out of every ten trips are made on foot or by bike.
To school, walking
A study published a few years ago in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and in which the University of Granada participated recommended carrying out more campaigns to raise awareness among parents of the benefits of children walking to school. Not only because it helps fight the childhood obesity epidemic, but also because it helps them acquire other abilities such as personal autonomy.
School paths consist of the use of the city as a safe space for children: in Pontevedra 70% of minors go to school on foot in a system in which children, parents and teachers participate. A measure that has put an end to the traditional and annoying crowds of cars at the doors of schools.
It is necessary to completely rethink the model of cities
Obviously, the solution to traffic and congestion in cities is not only to veto access to private vehicles: this measure must be accompanied by another series of initiatives that allow life and the performance of daily activities.
Many of today’s cities are designed to move around by car: the proliferation of shopping centers on the outskirts of cities, for example, is part of a custom-made model of the private vehicle. On the contrary, the promotion of local and proximity commerce facilitates mobility on foot.
And what happens in the big cities? In them, it may be more complicated to restrict traffic, but the question is once again through rethinking the city model. If in the neighborhoods there is access to all the basic services (school, leisure establishments, shops …), these in the end are equivalent to ‘mini-cities’ in which most trips can be made on foot or by bicycle. The connection between them through a good public transport network and the promotion of bicycles is one more incentive to leave the car in the garage.
