"From highway to living space" is the slogan with which a hundred people have demanded this Monday afternoon a reform of Aragó street that means putting an end to the reign of the car. The demonstration, which has led to the blocking of the road for about 40 minutes, has been called by Eixample Respira, a citizen platform that defends the improvement of air quality in the central district of Barcelona, which involves significantly reducing motor vehicle traffic where there is more.
The protesters, some with bicycles and children's strollers, have addressed the future rulers of the City Council to promote a change in Aragó, which supports traffic of more than 60,000 vehicles every day. In his opinion, it is time to propose a third reform of this artery. In 1882 a project was inaugurated in which the railway went to a lower level and some bridges joined the perpendicular streets. In 1962, it was completely covered to make room for the car, which was the expanding medium. And now, they argue, it is time to reduce it –not completely– because the new times of climate crisis and high pollution in the city require it.
"This action must be addressed in a transversal way, it is necessary that all the political parties agree because this is not about left or right, it is a matter of health and of complying with European legality", explained Genís Domínguez, one of the spokespersons for Eixample Breathe, aware that the future municipal government may be less in favor than the outgoing government of taking more space away from cars in this area and, especially, in Aragó. Both Xavier Trias, from Junts, and the socialist Jaume Collboni, the two candidates who continue to aspire to be elected mayors in the constitutive session this Saturday, have been critical of the restrictive measures with motorized traffic promoted by the mayoress Ada Colau, of BComú. "The mobilizations will continue," added this activist, "to add as many residents as possible."
