Cyclability in Barcelona
Cyclability
Cyclability indicates the quality of a city’s cycling infrastructure to make it safe and accessible for bicycle travel.
Barcelona has a cycling infrastructure concentrated in the city center. Areas with high cyclability account for 22% of the city and are especially concentrated in the Eixample. The northeastern and northwestern neighborhoods (Sant Andreu, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Horta) have medium levels of cyclability, with cyclable areas concentrated in specific sections of the road, with little interconnectivity. Mountainous areas (Collserola, Montjuïc and the hills of Rovira, Guinardó and Carmel) do not favor cycling mobility.
What does cyclability depend on?
The degree of cyclability is the result of several factors: cycling capacity, distance to the nearest bike lane, bikeway intersections, bike stations, and slope.
Cyclable capacity
Barcelona has more than a thousand kilometers of bicycle lanes concentrated in the city’s grid network. Cycling capacity is high in 23% of the urban core. It is in the Eixample where cycling capacity reaches maximum values.
Distance to the cycling network
The average distance to the cycling network in Barcelona is 31 meters. The central strip of the city is characterized by its proximity to a dense network of bike lanes. The historic center and the northern neighborhoods are the areas of the city with the farthest cycling network.
Intersection density of bikeway intersections
The density of intersections between bikeways is high in 15.5% of Barcelona. Connectivity is very high in pacified environments and old urban areas, such as the historic center, Sants or Sant Andreu. It is also very high in Dreta de l’Eixample, Sagrada Família and Fort Pienc due to the high density of bike lanes. In contrast, cycling infrastructure in peripheral areas lacks connectivity with the rest of the network.
Bicycle parking density
Barcelona has an average of 16 bicycle stations per hectare. The city is characterized by a high density of bicycle parking (public and private) in the central neighborhoods.
Slope
Barcelona has an east-west orography that allows the easy use of bicycles. 35% of the city has a slope of less than 5%. The sea-mountain routes, with more inclination, make these displacements more difficult. The steepest areas of the city are the mountainous areas of Montjuïc, Collserola and the hills of Rovira, Guinardó and Carmel.
Location map
