You know Barcelona with its great weather, dreamy architectural scenes and famous beaches. What if we tell you that you can easily discover all the nice features of Barcelona on a bike while saving the city from its air pollution? You can enjoy the warm wind and explore the attractions of the city such as Park Güell, Montjuïc, Arc de Triomf, La Sagrada Familia or evencommute to your work by cycling along the beaches of Barcelona. As biking in Barcelona is getting more and more popular every day let’s talk about why it matters even more now for locals and visitors of Barcelona to use bicycles as one of the main transportation means.
Why Barcelona is bike-friendly heaven?
Considering the size of the urban area of Barcelona and its population, it wouldn’t be enough to say that Barcelona is just a bicycle-friendly city. It’s bicycle-friendly heaven for us with its bike lanes that cover more than 200 km of the city roads.
Over time, biking around Barcelona became not just an alternative but one of the most popular transportation options both for discovering the city and for commuting. Wherever you live in Barcelona, after 5 mins of walk or so you end up in a bicycle lane that would take you to your final destination. There are many ways to get a bicycle here. You can have your own bike, use the public bicycle system Bicing, or follow the trend and get a rental bike as a secure option.
Did you know that at least the %52 of the population in Barcelona prefer walking or cycling for their trips within the city?
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 2016
It is more convenient
Let’s elaborate on the previously mentioned attractions of Barcelona. The city has marvellous architecture almost in every neighbourhood, memorable attractions and a very charming urban design that allows you to have an exciting biking journey. It has a long beach coast where you can easily cycle with a view of the sea and the joy aroused by the people on the beach. It’s a city where you don’t want to spend your commute time underground. That’s why Barcelona is a city where many people cycle and it has the infrastructure for that.
Infrastructure is here
In order to improve the quality of air and the quality of life, Barcelona took a solid step in 2015. With measures of “Bicycle Strategy for Barcelona,” they committed to a healthier mobility system by encouraging more sustainable transportation means such as walking paths, public transport and bicycle. The city now has larger and safer bicycle-lane networks for locals who would like to enjoy the fresh air, nice city view and a better conscience in their journeys.
Good for the cause
As Greenpeace España highlights, the latest data from the Institute For Global Health points out that Barcelona is in sixth place in deaths caused by pollution out of 1,000 European cities. By preferring this efficient transportation with zero fuel consumption and zero carbon emissions such as bicycles, you end up not contributing to environmental pollution. Your choice helps to improve the air quality of the city as well as your health. There’s no need to list the physical health improvements that regular cycling would cause to your body. Considering “new normal”, staying outside and distant from other commuters during your journey would keep you safer and healthier.
It is just better to bike around in Barcelona also considering the crowded urban population and the traffic jam. Journeys within the city are mostly much quicker with bicycles and way cheaper than using personal cars or even public transportation.
Should I Get My Own Bike Or Use Bike Rental Services In Barcelona?
We can talk all positive and passionate about Barcelona forever but let’s be honest about one issue. Theft is a problem in Barcelona, like in any other big metropolitan city. That’s why even though cycling around the city provides you with good health and good conscience it can also bring some anxiety over keeping your bicycle safe outside. If you have a secure lock for your bicycle that you trust more than anything else, go for it. We know how much one can care about their bicycle and we appreciate it. But if you are looking for another option, we found you a good deal to rent a bike in Barcelona.
Bicing: Get a bicycle whenever and wherever you are
Bicing is a company based in Barcelona since 2007. They offer a bicycle-sharing system for people living in the Mediterranean city to reduce pollution and connect them with their daily frequently visited locations. Learn more here, download your app and start your journey!
Kleta: Your own bike with a monthly subscription
This startup offers you an option to have your own bike in a cheaper way without buying one and worrying about theft or its maintenance. They encourage more people to use bicycles in their journeys and improve urban mobility for the better. Check them out here and get your bike asap!
Have fun and don’t forget to let us know about your biking experience in Barcelona!
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