Happy Birthday Bicing!

Bicing, Barcelona's public bicycle sharing system, marked its one year anniversary with a party on the seaside this weekend. About 2,000 persons gathered to hear speeches, watch marching bands, and eat a giant birthday cake.

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From the perspective of this user Bicing is a success and I think most Barcelonans would concur. Using this form of public transportation has saved me time and money, as well as provided me with an opportunity to get some extra exercise -- all without contributing to air pollution, noise and traffic congestion.

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Here are some statistics provided by Bicing that reflect the program's popularity: today Bicing has more than 130,000 users from 16 years of age to 83. The majority are between the ages of 26 and 35. The 4, 300 bicycles are used an average of 30,000 times a day. Each bike is used an average of 8 times a day. The average trip lasts 17 minutes and covers 3 kilometers. There are currently 286 stations that cover every district within the city limits. About 120 workers travel around the city in special Bicing vans to make repairs, switch out damaged bicycles and provide station maintenance. Every day about 300 new people join the system by paying the 24 euro annual membership fee.

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Future plans include expanding to 400 stations and 6,000 bicycles by this summer. Neighboring cities, such as Badalona and L'Hopsitalet, are considering joining the network so that Bicing can cover the whole Barcelona metropolitan area. There is talk about increasing the program's operating hours. (Currently the service is available from 5am to midnight on Sunday through Thursdays and 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.) Plans to create a weekly pass for tourists have been put on hold, but stay tuned, because as soon as it is inaugurated, I will post a notice.

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However, the system is not perfect and not all users are happy. One anonymous commentator on the ADN.es website wrote:

"It's a shame that you do not mention the very bad management of this service: thefts of bells and damage to gears, insufficient availability of bicycles at stations, failures in the computer system that prevent you from taking a bicycle even though some are available, fines and unjust sanctions due to mistakes by those in positions of responsibility..."

(Click here for the original Spanish version of the article the writer was commenting on. Scroll down the page to view his comments.)

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This writer is referring to the following situations:

• some of the bikes are vandalized, forcing users to ride without bells or with non-functioning gears;


• at times there are no bikes available at a station and it is necessary to wait until someone returns one -- indeed sometimes there are lines of people waiting for a bike;


• the computerized station racks sometimes breakdown and either will not allow people to take bikes or will not allow bikes to be returned;


• and some members claim that they have been fined 250 euros for losing bikes that in fact they had returned.

The latter could be because of a problem with the computerized rack, but it could also be because the user did not check to make sure that the bicycle was locked into the rack properly. I have actually seen kids at the Bicing bike racks trying all the parked bikes to see if there are any bikes that they could take be cause they were not locked properly.

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Of course, the burden of proof is on the member. For that reason, I usually not only check to see that the rack has properly locked the bicycle by trying to remove the bicycle from the stand, but I also immediately try to check out another bike because if the system has recorded the bike as returned, the computer system should give me a message that I need to wait 10 minutes before borrowing another bicycle.

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Other things I hear people complaining about are the limited number of bike lanes in Barcelona, the lack of respect pedestrians and other vehicles have for bike lanes, and the fact that police seem to fine bicyclers for violations much more than they do pedestrians and vehicle drivers. (I've never heard of a pedestrian getting fined for walking in a bike lane, although it is against the law.)

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So, yes, there are problems but all in all, I have to say I am not only satisfied, I am grateful. Bicing is a great way to get around!

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¡Felice cumpleaños, Bicing!

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Carloz

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P.S. Bicing has an old English version of it's website that is not updated anymore. Click here to view it.

From modern Barcelona to an ancient Iberian village (Pueblo Iberico) Part 2

Walking uphill on Puig Castellar Ave. soon brings you to the neighborhood public market, Singuerlin, which takes it's name from the barrio. Although it is in a rather uninteresting modern building, it still boasts the usual vendors of fresh fish, meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, nuts, bread, etc. Indeed, it's a good place to pick up items for a picnic in the wooded hills of the Serralada de Marina park above.

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Turn left at the market on Singuerlin Street and then take a right on Catalunya Ave. to continue the steep walk through the neighborhood of apartment buildings and single family dwellings -- some ugly, some attractive, some plain. When you reach the end of Catalunya Ave. at Primavera Ave, take a left and walk until it ends at Ausias Marc Street, where you take a right until this little street ends at the intersection of Dante and Roger de Flors. Look to the left for the stairway built into hillside, which goes up to Garcilaso de la Vega Street, where you turn right. Up ahead is a little circle with a city bus shelter, but take a right on the street right before the circle -- Marcelli Calvet street. Just a few meters ahead there is a water fountain and a bench that mark the end of this little street and the beginning of one of several nature trails in the park: Torrent de Les Bruixes. (Click here for a photo taken at last October's celebration of the 20th anniversary of the trail's restoration.)

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The path winds it's way up the hill, with markers pointing out the variety of flora and fauna native to the area. After about 30 minutes there is a wide dirt road that cuts across the trail. Here you have the choice of crossing and continuing directly up to the Iberian Village at the top of the hill, or of turning right and walking along the gradually rising road. The trail gets pretty steep from this point on, so unless you're prepared for a rather sturdy hike, take the road and follow the signs to Poblat Iberic Puig Castellar. (Although, you may want to take a short side trip to the medieval Ermita de Sant Climent that is about a 2o minute walk to the east. If so, just follow the signs there.)

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After about another 15 minutes, you reach the entrance to the little park that holds the archaeological excavation of the Iberian Village of Puig Castellar. At the base of the excavation site a nice little area has been developed, including stone benches and a wooden deck that stretches out from the hill. This is an excellent spot for taking in the magnificent views of the Besos river, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Badalona, Barcelona, and, of course the Mediterranean.

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Once you walk through the gate and onto the grounds, there are several signs in Catalan, Spanish and English that cover the history of the indigenous Iberian people, outline the fortified village that was located here some 2,500 years ago, mention the archaeological discoveries made at the beginning of the 20th century and describe the preservation of the site. For example, the signs let visitors know that the remains of the village were discovered by Ferran de Segarra in 1902 and that relics from the bed are preserved in the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia in Barcelona and at the Torre Balldovina Museum in Santa Coloma de Gramenet.

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After reading about the site, head up to the crest of the hill for a walk through the ruins. Signs in Catalan point out the remains of defensive constructions, a water system and the grid of streets, among other things. Structurally the village had an elliptical form, consisting of three longitudinal streets with lined with several structures. It is estimated that more than 200 people lived there. The village economy was based on agriculture, animal husbandry, metallurgy, textiles and trade.

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The lower section of the town was defended by a wall of stone and clay, the remains of which are easy to spot. The dwellings, which date from the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, were small -- only one or two rooms -- and were built of granite and slate, with roofs believed to have been made of branches and mud. One has been re-built, so that visitors can look inside for a glimpse of what life around the hearth must have been like.

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At the very top of the hill is a very simple little belvedere-like shelter for sitting and absorbing the surroundings, from the ancient at your feet, to the modern kilometers below.

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Chao amig@s,

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Carloz

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P.S. The Serralada de Marina park website has a nice little walking itinerary laid out from the Balldovina Museum (which is near the center of Santa Caloma de Gramenet) to Puig Castellar.