More pedestrians and fewer vehicles on Madrid's Gran Vía
will be 5,400 square meters which pedestrians will win thanks to a device that becomes the prelude to the definitive remodeling that Gran Vía will undergo at the beginning of 2018 with the expansion of its sidewalks, they explain from the Consistory.
The pedestrian gains prominence at the expense of reduce the circulation of private vehicles (with some exceptions) and supply them with public transport.
Of the three lanes for road traffic in each direction, pedestrians will be able to use one in each direction.
Therefore, those reserved for motor vehicles go from six to four (two in each direction): one of them will be a bus-taxi-motorbike lane and the other a bicycle lane to share between motor vehicles and bicycles. The maximum speed allowed will be 30 km/h.
Within the framework of this special mobility and security device, a limitation of access to private vehicles, except for residents and authorized vehicles.
Gran Vía opens to pedestrians
This will apply to Gran Vía, Puerta del Sol and Mayor and Atocha streets coinciding with the weekends, the December bridge and the Christmas school vacation period. The restrictions will start at 5:00 p.m. on the first day and will end at 10:00 p.m. on the last day of each period.
To compensate for these access limitations for wheeled vehicles, the City Council plans to reinforce the 32 bus lines of the Municipal Transport Company with 40 additional vehicles during the day. Also, there will be reinforcements for night transport in case they might be needed.
The Metro network will also increase its service on lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 , especially on weekends. Cercanías, for its part, will reinforce the lines that pass through Sol with double composition trains.
These measures are an appetizer of the new Gran Vía in Madrid, whose remodeling works will begin in early 2018 to widen sidewalks and pedestrian areas with one goal in mind: that the pedestrian gains more space.