Electric micro-mobility in Barcelona
Electric micro-mobility
The suitability of features from the built environment for travel in electric personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) in cities is measured from the electric micro-mobility indicator. It considers the capacity of the infrastructure for PMVs, the available network, the safety of intersections for PMVs, lighting, areas without public transport, and the percentage of the young population.
Barcelona has the right features to facilitate electric micromobility travel across much of the city. The highest values are located mainly in the orthogonal grid of the city center, from Sants to Clot. They are also high in some parts of Les Corts, Sant Gervasi, Sagrera, Sant Andreu and Poblenou. Low values are found in the suburbs, mountainous areas and large urban parks.
Capacity of Infrastructure for Electric PMVs
The infrastructure capacity for electric personal micromobility vehicles is high in 21.6% of the city. This is because Barcelona has more than 1000km of bike lanes. Average values are found in neighborhoods like Gòtic and Gràcia, with their inverted priority streets, and are also influenced by the fact that 70% of the city’s streets are in 30 km/h zones. The lowest values are in the northern third and the periphery, where PMV infrastructure is scarce.
Available Network for Electric PMVs
The percentage of the road network available for PMVs within a 30-minute trip varies greatly between the city center and the periphery. In the districts of l’Eixample, Gràcia, Sants and Les Corts, the available network is between 60% and 90%. On the other hand, in the periphery the values are below 10%.
Safety of Road Intersections for Electric PMVs
Almost a quarter of Barcelona’s area (24.5%) has a very high level of intersection safety for PMV circulation. They correspond to the neighborhoods of Ciutat Vella, Fort Pienc, Sagrada Familia, El Clot, Sant Andreu, Les Corts, Horta, Sants-Badal and Trinitat Nova. On the other hand, the lowest values are found in the periphery, the Turó de la Rovira hill and in l’Esquerra de l’Eixample.
Roadway Lighting
In Barcelona, road infrastructures for electric micromobility modes are unevenly lit. Values are high in 27% of the city. The best-lit areas coincide with some of the highest capacity roads: Ronda del mig, Meridiana, Via Augusta, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Diagonal. The lowest values are found in the Poblenou, Bon Pastor, Maternitat and Sant Ramon neighborhoods, in mountainous areas and large urban parks (La Ciutadella, Collserola, Montjuïc, the Rovira, Guinardó and Carmel hills) and on the outskirts of the city.
Areas Without Public Transport
17.5% of Barcelona is under-supplied with public transport. The areas with the least public transport provision are on the seafront, the mountainous areas of the city (Montjuïc, Collserola and the hills of Turó de la Rovira and Parc Güell) and the neighborhoods of Sant Martí, Pedralbes, la Verneda i la Pau, Bon Pastor and Trinitat Vella, which are under-served by public transport. On the other hand, the city center and the neighborhoods of Sants, La Sagrera and Les Corts concentrate a large number of public transport services.
Young Population
In Barcelona, the 16 to 35-year-old population is concentrated in the city’s central neighborhoods (Ciutat Vella, L’Eixample, and La Barceloneta). The lowest values are concentrated in the periphery.
Location map
