As part of Barcelona’s project to promote sustainable mobility, much effort has been dedicated to boosting bicycle usage in the city, with plenty of thought also given to intermodality.
According to AMB, developing sustainable intermodality in Barcelona will also require an increase in the use of soft modes of transport, especially bicycles. Indeed, despite a boom after the 2007 launch of Bicing, the city’s bicycle-sharing scheme (bike use increased by 237.5% between 2005 and 2011), cycling’s modal share in Barcelona remains very low (1.5%), partly because of the mountainous geography. To remedy that, AMB have launched a ‘sustainable mobility programme’ for 2014/2015. Benefiting from 450,000 Euros of investment, this initiative will implement measures focused on developing the spread of non-motorised vehicles, including the creation of bike lanes to connect existing networks. The programme has also been designed to encourage the use of e-bikes in the more elevated parts of the city. "For example, we’re going to buy 100 e-bikes and distribute them to the different municipal authorities of the metropolitan area so that they can set an example," said Rossend Bosch, AMB’s head of soft mobility. "We’ll also subsidise the purchase of e-bikes up to 200 Euros." Meanwhile, the iconic Bicibox (see right) will continue to be developed as well. An additional 20 modules are set to be installed, at a cost of 200,000 Euros, while various improvements will be implemented, "including", according to Bosch, "the addition of plugs to allow e-bikes to be charged".
Another feature of the Catalan capital are the various Bicibox modules located close to train, bus and metro stations in 11 different municipal districts within the metropolitan area. These semi-cylindrical, metallic bike-parks are solar-powered, and give cyclists the chance to station their bicycles near public transport nodes and protect them from rain or theft. In order to use the service, which is free for the first 12 hours, people must register to obtain an identification card and user number, valid for one year.