How the bike lane changed the social use of the bicycle in Valencia

On weekdays, the circular route that joins Calle Colón with Guillem de Castro and Blanquerías, bordering the Parque del Turia, is the one with the highest traffic intensity among the bike lanes in Valencia.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
23 April 2023 Sunday 20:48
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How the bike lane changed the social use of the bicycle in Valencia

On weekdays, the circular route that joins Calle Colón with Guillem de Castro and Blanquerías, bordering the Parque del Turia, is the one with the highest traffic intensity among the bike lanes in Valencia. Almost 7,000 bicycles traveled through Xàtiva street on a working day last February, according to the latest data recorded by the Municipal Bicycle Agency.

In general, there is greater intensity in the streets of the center and the north of the city than in the southern zone and it is expected that the cycling ring will grow throughout the city as the planned lanes are completed. Recently, the one on Avenida del Cid, one of the great arteries of the city that now connects with Xirivella, came into circulation.

It is indisputable that in these years Valencia has taken a turn by bicycle with cycle lanes in large arteries, such as the controversial Calle Colón. Pedestrians and car drivers, mainly, are learning to live with cyclists, who have made the bicycle something more than a product for the Sunday ride. The city now has 64 more kilometers of bike lanes than seven years ago and adds up to 187 kilometers. But beyond the number, how has it changed users?

Antón Buitrón is one of those people who used to ride a bicycle when it still seemed like an eccentricity. “When I went to university, Antón was ‘the one with the bike’, we were four cats who founded Valencia en Bici 30 years ago and fortunately we are no longer ‘those with the bike’, that is indeed a change”, he explains. In the conviction he had a lot to do with the two years he spent in the Netherlands, where he recalls "there was a boost, budget and professionalization of the bicycle as communication to save the cities".

From his experience, he explains that riding a bicycle now "is a little more complicated than before", but he is "delighted" that so many users have joined his hobby. However, I find 'buts' to this revolution: “The percentage of cyclists who break all the rules is damaging our image and I have to say that the cycling ring is so narrow that it is dangerous, because it is not one-way ”, he points out.

Convinced of the many advantages of pedaling almost as a way of life, his business is inextricably linked to the bicycle, since his bike-carts selling horchata are seen at events and festivals such as the second edition of Ciclosferia that has been held this weekend. week in Valencia.

It is the first urban cycling fair in Spain and its director, Rafa Vidiella, explains that although there are good vibes, "the true explosion of the bicycle is yet to come". Vidiella, who got to know the city eight years ago and today is amazed at the change - "I come from Madrid, where the bike lane is like throwing yourself into the Roman Colosseum" - points out that despite the belief, the pandemic has not increased as much as the conviction that "the bike is the best transport" was thought. Also at the fair for the second time is Koos, a bicycle dealer with a store in Barcelona for almost two decades and whose outlook is very specific, as he is also Dutch. "I see the city changed a lot, but you have to be more courageous. The bike lane is not just a painted line, you have to grow," he defends.

In that courage that he asks for, it is easy for him to find councilor Giuseppe Grezzi (Compromís), who has been the target of all the criticism in this battle in Valencia to promote the use of the bicycle. Criticism continues, especially from Vox, whose candidate for mayor of Valencia Juanma Badenas describes the bike lanes as "disruption" and assures that, if he wins, he will return "freedom of movement to Valencians." However, the PP, which has also been belligerent with the restructuring of major roads such as Colón or Avenida Reino de València, is now committed to "redesigning" certain routes to ensure security, as explained by its candidate María José Catalá.

Pablo Alcañiz, manager of Do You Bike, a bicycle rental and sale business with five stores in the city, also knows about the bicycle boom, and its detractors. Before starting a business, he was also one of those convinced of the benefits of pedaling and he was a visionary when he bet on this business back in 2004. "Almost 20 years have passed and the last ones have been a lot of transformation and very fast. Now we have a lot of competition, but our business has been growing according to the interest: now we are a sales and repair store because there are many more users", he details.

Alcañiz is also critical and calls for tax incentives for the purchase of bicycles, because only with bike lanes it is not possible to educate, he believes. "You have to do pedagogy from the school and provide facilities because this change is for the better. It cannot be that there are two sides in this, the bicycle is horizontal and has no ideology. It is for everyone," he argues.

In Alicante, from the Department of Urbanism they explain that all the projected works, with European funds, include a bike lane, such as the renovation of the Explanada de España that runs from the southern entrance of the city along the coastal façade. However, from platforms such as Alacant en bici they maintain a critical profile with the consistory, which they consider "anti-bici" and call for greater traffic calming.

On the other hand, in Castellón, there has been a Bicycle Master Plan in force for years and the city adds new cycle paths, the last one inaugurated in March with a new bicycle lane and pedestrian routes that connect the center with the Lledó basilica from the capital of La Plana.