AVE Barcelona, AVE Madrid

A bullet train now connects Barcelona and Madrid! The BCN-Madrid AVE began its first commercial runs day before yesterday -- 12 years after construction was begun and 3 weeks before national elections. The trains were originally supposed to start running before Christmas.

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Traveling at speeds up to 350 ks per hour, the non-stop trip took just over 2 1/2 hours -- two hours and 38 minutes, to be exact. One newspaper reported that the train arrived in Barcelona 5 minutes early and another claimed it was 8 minutes early. The train trip used to take about 6 hours.

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AVE trains will leave Madrid and Barcelona at least every hour between 6am and 9pm. There will be 34 trains weekly: 15 trains will be direct and 19 will make stops in Zaragoza, Lleida and Tarragona. The non-direct runs will take about 3 hours 15 minutes.

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While a few tickets on selected runs are as low as 40 euros each way if bought on-line at least 15 days in advance, most round trip tickets cost between 162 and 192 euros. Airline tickets can be found for as little as 25 euros.

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The construction of the train has been quite controversial, with delays, cost overruns and damage to neighboring buildings. Concerns were heightened when several residential buildings in Barcelona collapsed due to under ground construction on Metro line five. 1,000 people were left home less and 15,000 were affected. (Click here for more details about this incident.) Although this was due to construction on the Metro and not the AVE, it caused concern because the AVE runs underground within the city of Barcelona.

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So, when residents along the AVE line found cracks in their walls and damage to the foundations of buildings, there was understandable concern that a similar tragedy might occur along the AVE line. When a sinkhole appeared on the line, damaging not only buildings but a railway platform, criticism grew. The government recently announced a process whereby property owners along the line can file for financial compensation for damages.

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With the AVE set to be extended to France, the controversy is not over. The remainder of the line is being constructed under Barcelona's Sagrada Famila and there are people who believe that puts the structure at risk. The AVE tunnel will also pass under another Antoni Gaudi jewel, the Mila House, also known as La Pedrera. A Sagrada Familia Preservation Society was formed to challenge the construction.

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AVE stands for Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High Speed). AVEs already run between Madrid and Sevilla, Madrid and Malaga, Madrid and Huesca, and Madrid and Vallodolid. (It almost sounds like all trains in Spain lead to Madrid, doesn't it?) More high speed rail lines are planned throughout the country, with the aim being that by 2010 all provincial capitals will be at most only 4 hours from Madrid. There's even talk of a Madrid - Lisbon line.

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Chao amig@s,

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Carloz

Bicing, bicycling and the law in Barcelona

Barcelona recently updated it's law concerning the flow of traffic -- motor, two wheel and pedestrian. A few of the major aspects of the law that effect bicyclers are: being allowed to ride in the middle of a lane, having to stop at red lights, not being allowed to use lanes reserved for buses and taxis, being prohibited from riding on pedestrian sidewalks smaller than five meters wide, having to use bike lanes when they are physically separated from the street (if they are not physically separate, then it's optional) and having to have functional bells and lights.

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I think many people believe the law is an improvement over what existed before, but there are still many concerns. One of mine is not being allowed to use the bus/taxi lane. On a street like Via Laietana that means having to ride in the middle lane, with taxis and buses whooshing by to your right and passenger vehicles and trucks zooming by on your left. It's a little nerve racking!

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Then there is the fact that the bikes available through the Bicing public transportation program often have bells and lights that are missing or broken. I mentioned that to a Bicing staff person the other day and the response was, "Don't worry, the police won't fine Bicing users for that. They understand that it's not your fault." OK, but what about the reason for requiring lights and bells -- safety!

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Anyway, below is my translation of parts of a report about some of these issues from today's El Pais. The article was drawn from a reporter's one hour observations of a busy Barcelona intersection.

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"Motorcycles, cars, parking, driving, unloading, walking... Some of everything can be found in the C/ Consell de Cent bike lane between C/ Pau Claris and C/ Roger de Llúria. Last Tuesday between 11.30am and 12.30pm saw the frantic business day activity of every kind of vehicle, including bicycles - the only ones that, in theory, should be using the bike lane -, and often causing them to leave the lane in order to negotiate obstacles in the shape of parked vehicles. In the hour observed, it was not only motor vehicles that violated the traffic code, but also cyclists who did not respect the ordinance -- red lights were run and sidewalks less than 5 meters wide were ridden on.

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In one hour the balance of bike lane infractions was as follows: 14 vehicles parked in the bike lane, 3 taxis dropped off and collected passengers, a large number of motorcycles (too many to count) drove along and 12 motorcycles stopped for the light inside the bike lane. Violations by bicyclists were: four bicycles ran the light, four others rode circulated along the sidewalk. And a pedestrian also decided to walk along the lane. By type of vehicle, the results were: 29 of motor vehicles invaded the bike lane, 9 bicycles violated the ordinance and one pedestrian walked in bike lane.

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During that 60 minute period, only one police officer came by -- one of those who patrols on a bicycle. He gave a warning to a bicyclist who was riding along the sidewalk and ticketed a car parked in the bike lane.

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The biggest danger occurred when more than one van or car was parked, causing cyclists to zigzag continuously and dangerously. A total of 33 bicycles had to leave the lane to avoid parked vehicles, with all the danger this involved. Actually, more than a few opted to stop and wait to exit the bike lane until no cars or motorcycles were coming.

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The number of infractions counted by this newspaper in an hour along one city block demonstrates that vehicles do not respect the bike lane and invade it constantly, putting cyclists at risk. And it also it provide evidence that reality far surpasses official figures. According to data provided by the Guardia Urbana, between January and September of this year -before the new ordinance took effect - the following infractions were reported: 1,295 for parking in a bike lane, 15 for stopping in a bike lane, 1,674 for driving in a bike on a motorcycle, 493 for driving in a bike lane on a moped, and 34 for driving in a bike lane in a four wheels. This newspaper requested from Barcelona City Hall the number tickets issued for the same infractions since the application of the ordinance, but received no response. Lacking concrete data, the Bicycle Club of Catalonia (BACC) believes that the ordinance is being applied to bicyclists above all.

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"The most frequent bike infraction is running a red light. But the same zeal is not seen in sanctioning vehicles that invade bike lanes", stresses Diana González.

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This worries cyclist organizations because of the growth of users of this means of transportation due to the appearance of the Bicing program. Before Bicing's establishment, there were some 40,000 bicycle trips each week day in Barcelona. Now there are more than 70,000."

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And I'll close by adding that that number is sure to keep growing.

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If you'd like to read the complete article in the original Spanish, click here.

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Hasta luego amig@s,

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Carloz

A Tale of Two Cities: Barcelona Bicing & Paris Vélib

Hey, I see that Paris will be starting its own public bicycle transport program tomorrow. It's called Vélib which is a mix of the French words for bike (vélo) and free (libre). I say bon for them!
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Here's my 2 cents worth of a comparison between it and Barcelona's Bicing program.
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Bicing vs Vélib, the names: To me "Bicing" is a much catchier and international sounding name. I mean, "veleeb parreee" sounds OK, but Barcelona Bicing, that's snazzy, rhythmic, alliterate, mnemonic. (By the way, it's pronounced "beecing.")
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Bicing vs Vélib, the websites: The Bicing website is available in Spanish, Catalan and English, to make it more accessible to the city's cosmopolitan population. The Vélib website is available in French and, well... er... French, to make it more... er... French! Chalk another one up for Barcelona Bicing. Acreditase un mas a Barcelona Bicing. Acredita-se un mes a Barcelona Bicing.

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Bicing vs Vélib, the water-side view: Yeah, yeah, yeah, biking along the Seine sounds romantic and like something Judy Collin's grand kids probably do. However, it's really just a little river and no amount of Paris plage-ing during the summer is going to make it feel like the MEDITERRANEAN! Barcelona Bicing on the beach is the winner here.
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Bicing vs Vélib, the weather: Biking in Paris during the summer may be nice, but really, who wants to bike in Paris on a cold, gray winter day? During the winter most Parisians are probably looking at Spanish travel brochures and dreaming about THE MEDITERRANEAN!! Summer, winter, spring or fall, wouldn't you rather be Barcelona Bicing on the beach?
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Bicing vs Vélib, the sites to see: Ok, both cities do really well in this category. Eiffel Tower, Sagrada Familia, Champs-Élysées, Las Ramblas, Arc de Triomphe, Arc de Triumf, etc., etc. etc. Paris may even have the edge here... but... come to think of it, we've got the foothills of the Pyrenees to look up to when we're tooling along Paseo de Gracia! Can one bike from the sea to the mountains in Paris? Creo que no.
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Bicing vs Vélib, the population: Would you rather bike in a city of about 1 and a half million people, like Barcelona, or about 2 and a half million, like Paris? (Now before you answer, don't only think of the heavier traffic, but remember those cold, dreary Paris winters and the sun shining on the Mediterranean all year long.) OK, Barcelona Bicing on the beach wins here, too.
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Bicing vs Vélib, the rates: Bicing 24 euros annually; Vélib, 29 euros. BBOTB.
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Bicing vs Vélib, the countries: Bicing's in Spain, the other's in France. I rest my case.

Barcelona Bicing on the beach, yeah! Barcelona Bicing on the beach, yeah! Barcelona Bicing on the beach, yeah!

Will success kill 'Bicing', Barcelona's new public bicycling system?

Below is my translation of an article by JAUME BAUZÀ from last Sunday's El Pais newspaper.

Click on the title below if you want to read the original Spanish version.
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Success threatens to drown 'bicing'
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In biology it is said that an insect survives because it is small, but that if it grew to the size of a cow, it would suffocate. Something similar could happen to Bicing, with its overwhelming success in Barcelona.
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The public transportation system established by City Hall last March has already has attracted 70,000 users so far -- a figure that grows by 1,000 new subscriptions a day. However, the number of available bicycles is much lower: 1,500 located at 100 stations. This difference between supply and demand is starting to cause problems in getting hold of a bicycle.
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Empty stations for much of the day, queues to get hold of one the prized methods of transport and users who, after an initial phase of skepticism followed by enthusiasm for the innovative service, are beginning to grow impatient.
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"The other day I had to go to three stations until I found a bicycle. If it to had gone home on foot since at the start, I would have arrived there earlier," said Ana at a stop near the cathedral.
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"At first there was no problem, but when I leave for work it's a miracle to find a bike," claimed Antoni in the Eixample area.
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Although the majority of users consulted believe that Bicing is an excellent initiative, a lot of criticism was expressed about the lack of bicycles. Nevertheless, those responsible for the program are not worried.
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"I don't believe there is a serious imbalance between supply and demand. At any rate, the service is still not up and running 100%," stated a spokesman of Barcelona Municipal Services, the public business that operates the new urban transportation system. City Hall foresees by year's end 3.000 bicycles in circulation, distributed through 200 stations all over the city. But how many users will have registered by then?
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"Now we are in a state of flux. With the summer's arrival the promotional [membership] rate of six euros annually has ended. It doesn't seem probable that the number of requests will continue at this pace after September."
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The system is seen as an alternative method of public transportation, so it only allows for trips of half an hour. In case that time limit is surpassed, the user is penalized 30 cents. This way the bicycles move constantly. Clear Channel, the company that put the service operation in Barcelona, reported that there have already been more than 500,000 trips recorded.
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"According to our calculations, each bicycle is used an average of 12 times a day and we believe that those rotations will rise to 15 by the end of the year. So when they say that there are few bicycles, one must keep in mind that they are in continuous movement," City Hall said in response to the criticism.
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At Barcelona Municipal Services, they prefer that things develop naturally. "It's logical that in the future some users will drop the service, having tired of not finding a bicycle. Thus the supply and demand will balance out," explained the municipal spokesman. "At any rate, it's still very early to speculate on that question. The system is new. We started from scratch and we need a year to study where the gaps are and find solutions", affirmed this spokesman.
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The advantages of Bicing are undeniable and explain why Barcelonans have been tripping over their feet to get at this service. It's comfortable, ecological and cheap. According to a profile provided by City Hall, the average user is more than 35 years old (48%), is a professional with an advanced degree (30,6%), lives in the Eixample (26,4%) and uses the bike an average of 15 minutes.
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To absorb such user demand, the town council is working towards installing a new station every day. The Bicing map already includes 75 stations that extend all over the city. For example, the six kilometers that separate Plaza d' Espanya and Glòries can be covered in 28 minutes traveling almost in straight line along Gran Via. The stress and heat produced by cars in two lanes, pedestrians that cross the street without looking and furious cabdrivers suggest making the return trip by Metro. The eight stations that separate both Plazas require 12 minutes travel time.
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Such a system is necessary, many citizens say, above all in a metropolis that has always boasted of treating bicycles well. But success can also kill and the flood of users threatens to reduce the effectiveness of the service.
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"There are things that need fine tuning, but in July we'll have 150 maintenance and distribution staff, 10 vehicles with trailers to carry bicycles and another four vehicles for maintenance. So, we'll fill up empty stations more quickly," pronounced City Hall.

Spain: News for Sunday 1 July 2007

Glasgow, of course, was the major story in all of the newspapers. El Pais ran the following headline: Alerta máxima antiterrorista en el Reino Unido tras un ataque. (Maximum anti-terrorist alert in the United Kingdom after an attack.) However, in Spain life went on as usual, as you can tell from the following local stories:

Summer sales start! Today was one of only 8 Sundays/Holidays a year when all stores are allowed to open for business. This is because today coincided with the start of Spain's summer sales period, which will last until 31 August. The Catalonia Commerce Confederation has predicted sales of between 800 and 900 million euros during these two months, 6% more last year. According to the estimates of the Spanish Commerce Confederation, Spanish consumers will spend, on average, between 150 and 200 euros.

Summer "sails", too! The massive exodus for summer holidays started yesterday, with queues at the ticket counters and traffica jams on the highways and freeways. Freeway AP-7 had vehicles lined up to 20 kilometers at noon. El Prat airport reorted record breaking operations, with a total of 1,102 take-offs and landings.

Glad I stayed home and enjoyed the beach! Hasta mañana...

Biking with Bicing in Barcelona

Getting around Barcelona got more interesting with the introduction of “bicing” in April. The word “bicing” is an adaptation of the word “bicycling” and is used as the name for BCN’s latest addition to public transport. It’s great: sign-up via the interent, pay a small annual fee (24 euros), receive a member card a couple of days later and then use it to “check out” a bike for up to two hours at a time. The first 30 minutes are free. If you use the bike longer you pay 30 cdents for each half hour.

So, this afternoon I used the system to get to and from for my routine outing for Sunday lunch over the El Pais newspaper. I grabbed a bike from a stand a few blocks from my apartment and rode it to another stand located near one of my favorite seaside restaurants. A few hours later I collected another bike from the stand and rode it back to the stand in my neighborhood. There are five stands within walking distance of my apartment!

This bicycle lending service is integrated into the city’s bus and subway system. As I said earlier, it’s only been available for a few months and it is already extremely popular. The overwhelming success of the program surprised its developers. I read somewhere that they had projected 15, 000 people signing up by the end of the year. However, 30,000 people subscribed in the first 2 months!

I have been using the system for getting to work as well as for pleasure rides. Of course, since I teach at various locations around the city each day, it’s not possible to ride a bike to all of my classes. However, when a trip to a class involves a bus ride and a transfer to the metro, I can often substitute a bike ride for that bus ride and at least part of the metro ride. It is nice to be out in the open air instead of on a bus or down in the metro. (Although Barcelona’s bus and metro system is very good.) Another pleasant aspect is that since Barcelona is such a style concious city, the bikes and their stands are very nicely designed.Here’s a link to the English version of the Bicing web site:

ttp://www.bicing.com/home/home.php?TU5fTE9DQUxJWkFDSU9ORVM%3D&MQ%3D%3D&ZW4%3D

Barcelona is a pretty progressive place. Well, all of Spain is, really. I am fortunate to live in this country.

5 Responses

By: In Today’s News: David Beckham Ends Madrid Stint with a League Title « My Spain Blog on June 18th, 2007 at 11:29 pm […] Bicing, Barcelona’s public transport by bicycle program, now has over 50,000 subscribers! […]

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By: Pedalling Along on June 19th, 2007 at 4:33 pm

[…] I think if the planets are alligned, people would be willing to give it a try. I ran across this entry about a new bike service in Barcelona, Spain that is taking off. Could you imagine dedicating […]

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By: pixelus on June 20th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

How I wish this was already existing when I lived in Barcelona a long time ago!
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By: Carloz on June 20th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

Well, come back, Pixelus!

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By: Barceloneta and beyond (well, a little) during the summer solstice celebration « My Spain Blog on June 24th, 2007 at 4:54 am

[…] Then I thought, hey, I always stay here in Barceloneta for San Juan. But I wonder what’s happening even further up the beach? Even to the other end? And then I knew how to find out — Bicing, the Barcelona public transit system’s bicycle lending service! (See June 17th post, Biking with Bicing in Barcelona.) […]

Copied from original http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/ posting by Carloz on 17 June, 2007