Have you ever wished you could take a stroll down some of the most well known, high traffic streets in Barcelona? You’re soon to be in luck!

Ada Colau and the Barcelona City Council have just announced an initiative that will cut off the traffic to several of the Barcelona’s main streets so that they can be enjoyed in a way they couldn’t be before.

Obrim Carrers, or “Open Streets,” will take place every first weekend of each month, starting next weekend, February 1-2, 2020. The idea is to transform the main avenues into peaceful areas where locals can walk, play and create a better sense of community.

Moreover, it is another means for the city to try to do its part to combat climate change.¹ The closure of the selected streets is expected to cut traffic in the city by 100,000 cars.

The streets to be cut during the initiative’s first weekend will be Via Laietana (between Plaça Urquinaona and Plaça Antonio López) and Gran de Gràcia (between Plaça Nicolàs Salmerón and Carrer Nil Fabra). In March, Carrer Creu Coberta-Carrer de Sants (between Plaça Espanya and Carrer Azizala) and Carrer Aragó (between Meridiana and Tarragona) will be added to the cuts. The plan is to add two more streets each month until reaching ten in total, one per district. As mentioned before, the streets will only be closed during the first weekend of each month, and they’ll be closed simultaneously.

Obrim Carrers Schedule

Saturdays: 5pm-9pm (all selected streets except Carrer Aragó)

Sundays: 10am-3pm (Carrer Aragó)

(First Sunday, February 2nd: no open streets)*

If you plan on taking advantage of this initiative, take photos and tag us (@carrersbcn) on social media. We’ll repost our favorites each month!

See you out on the streets!

For more info, click here.

¹ The city also plans to lower the speed limit to 30km/h for over 200km worth of streets in the city, which will mean 75% of Barcelona’s streets.

*Story updated January 30th, 2020 at 13:34

By EMILY BENSON

Published by carrersbcn

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