The Barcelona Ombudsman Calls for Mitigating Harmful Effects of Tourist Buses on Cartagena Street
The Barcelona Ombudsman has called on the City Council of the Catalan capital to “reduce the harmful effects” of tourist buses on Cartagena Street, as stated in a press release this Thursday.
This concerns the “Ruta Blava” of the Tourist Bus, which typically operates on Cartagena Street from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with a frequency of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of year.
On average, 25 buses ply this route daily, according to reports.
The municipality has stated that, following the pandemic, they reviewed the new regulations for tourist buses. However, they emphasized that avoiding their route through Cartagena Street “is not possible,” as the alternative route to Park Güell, via Prague Street, is even narrower.
While traffic and road safety regulations grant municipalities “discretionary authority to regulate traffic,” the Barcelona Ombudsman believes that the City Council has not taken measures to objectively assess the extent of the impact, as stated in their official statement.
Furthermore, the City Council has informed the Ombudsman that there are currently no electric buses in the tourist bus network, prompting the Ombudsman to assert that “more efforts are needed to enhance the sustainability of these vehicles.”
