Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs
Committee Visit to Barcelona, Milan, Ferrara and Munich 26th February
to 2nd March 2001
Participants
Mr Andrew F Bennett, MP (Chairman)
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, MP
Mr Brian H Donohoe, MP
Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, MP
Mrs Louise Ellman, MP
Mr Bill O'Brien, MP
Mr Bill Olner, MP
Mr George Stevenson, MP
Dr David Harrison, Clerk
Mr Kevin Lee, Committee Specialist
Mr Tim Pharoah, Specialist Advisor
Barcelona
The Committee began its visit in Barcelona, which
has 1½ million inhabitants and is the centre of a metropolitan
area in which four million people live. The city has gained renown
for its spectacular transformation of the waterfront area and
for a series of regeneration projects intended to make high density
areas more habitable. New urban spaces have been created by selective
demolition and by converting parking and road space into areas
for pedestrians.
There is also an impressive area of the old city
that has been pedestrianised. It seemed to work well and was popular
with tourists and local people as an area to stroll in. It had
been extended during recent years by the addition of some streets
and squares with very limited vehicle access. Entry to these areas
by vehicle was controlled by a system of hydraulic bollards. On
the whole the streets were pleasant to walk in and appeared to
please local residents and shopkeepers within the restricted areas.
Barcelona's road network has, however, become more
congested in recent years as a consequence of economic growth
and the increase in car ownership and use. The Committee had a
very detailed explanation of the city council's plans to encourage
people to use alternative forms of transport to the car and, in
particular, how facilities for pedestrians will be improved. We
were also given presentations on the architectural development
of the city and recent attempts to make the city more friendly
to walkers. Barcelona has a vision for improving conditions for
walking which includes plans to link the parks and spaces with
coherent walking routes and to make the crossing of major traffic
arteries easier.
As part of the city's broader transport strategy,
there are specific policies to increase the amount of space that
is dedicated to pedestrians, including measures to increase pedestrianisation
in the historic areas; to expand the number of areas in which
traffic is restricted by the use of automatic control systems;
and to widen pavements along streets that are heavily used by
pedestrians, and particularly those that are popular for shopping.
These initiatives are being complemented by actions to improve
the quality of the built environment for the pedestrian by discouraging
the parking of motorbikes on pavements; extending the green phases
for pedestrians at crossings on priority walking routes; accessibility
improvements for people with impaired mobility; and providing
signs to direct those on foot to stations and places of interest.
The key to maintaining high levels of walking in Barcelona, however,
is the commitment to making high densities work and avoiding the
damage that would come from creating new developments that build
in dependence on the car.
During our visit, we saw outdoor moving staircases
on pedestrian routes (very expensive); the development of green
neighbourhood areas; the covering over of parts of the main ring
road to provide a pedestrianised area at street level and a layer
of car parking under it (feasible only with European Union grants);
and the construction of a pedestrianised central area along the
Avinguda Gaudi leading to the Sagrada Familia cathedral. In the
total environment of the city these projects were very small scale.
We also had a very good presentation in one of the city's traffic
control centres. As well as regulating traffic signals and monitoring
traffic flows, the centre oversees the areas where traffic is
restricted. In an emergency, for example, it could lower the hydraulic
bollards limiting access to those areas.
Our attention was drawn to a recent survey which
suggested that the proportion of all journeys in Barcelona that
were undertaken on foot had increased by one per cent to 37 per
cent in the last year. It was not clear how far this was a result
of extending pedestrian facilities, better public transport, or
increased traffic congestion making walking quicker than car travel.
We also had a chance to meet the local motoring organisation,
the Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya, which supports the
approach which the city is taking to transport planning.
Milan
On arrival in Milan we had a series of excellent
presentations, setting out the city's principles for walkers,
and the details of several schemes, including ones promoted by
an architect employed by the shopkeepers' association. We also
had a careful presentation showing how the authorities were using
historical stones and new material from the Lombardy region in
their pedestrianisation projects. In common with Barcelona, Milan
recognises that in order to ensure that a high proportion of journeys
is made on foot, action is required across the city and not just
in a number of high profile locations in the centre.
In response to the problems caused by a large number
of drivers wanting to enter central Milan during peak periods,
the city authority has adopted the Urban Mobility Plan which includes
measures to restrict car use in favour of alternative forms of
transport. As well as improving public transport links with the
suburbs, more 'environmental islands' will be introduced in the
inner areas in order to prevent residential districts from being
overwhelmed by commuters' cars and to divert through traffic away
from these areas and on to major routes. Within these islands,
the boundaries of which are defined by the main road network,
traffic is restrained in a variety of ways, such as traffic bans
in certain streets. Traffic is also calmed through the provision
of new street furniture, including flower beds and benches. These
steps are combined with other initiatives to develop pedestrianised
areas and to create a more attractive environment for walking.
It was also explained that some through traffic had
been discouraged from entering central Milan by cutting off one
of the main axes through the city centre and forcing drivers to
use one of the ring roads. In addition, the trams and metro provide
good links into the pedestrianised area, which extends from Piazza
San Babila to Largo Cairoli and covers an area of about 65,000
square metres. We were also told how, along new transport links
into the city, the environment was being planned to make walking
along these links attractive. We then had information on small
schemes to improve walking and to reduce car parking in a series
of local neighbourhoods. Finally, we had a presentation on reducing
pedestrian accidents. The emphasis was on reducing car speeds,
rather than corralling pedestrians behind barriers.
We were then able to walk through the main pedestrian
area and to admire the way the Duomo and other major buildings
were set off by the high quality of design and construction of
the pedestrian areas. It was also clear just how well used these
areas were, and obviously popular. The use of multi-disciplinary
teams, including architects and engineers, to plan and implement
these schemes has made a significant contribution to their success.
The quality achieved in the design and especially the execution
of the pedestrian areas created in the heart of the city was particularly
impressive. The architectural coherence of Via Dante had been
respected with simple but beautifully constructed paving design
and materials, while the square on which La Scala opera house
sits has been recreated as a fitting foreground. Stone benches
have been provided in response to criticisms of earlier schemes
(such as that by the Duomo) where there were no places to rest.
To avoid disruption after a project has been completed, pipes
and cables are renewed while the pedestrianisation work is being
undertaken. The opportunity is also taken to provide additional
capacity to meet the future needs of utility companies.
In the evening, we had a very enjoyable and informative
meal at the Consul-General's residence with planners, architects
and transport experts at which we were able to get a great deal
of extra information.
Ferrara
The following morning, we moved on to Ferrara: where
we had a further presentation. It was emphasised that the city
had benefited from more than 500 years of town planning. It was
obvious that Ferrara was not a good choice for our visit, since
it had too many exceptional advantages. First, it had town walls
which contained an effective area for car restraint. Second, it
was very flat. Third, it had a large student population. Fourth,
car traffic in the town centre had been restricted for over 30
years and fifth, there was very high bicycle use. The bicycle
use was very compatible with walking-so we could see a very civilised
town with very good facilities for walkers and cyclists and which
had sensible restrictions on car use. We saw elderly ladies in
fur coats riding bicycles and cyclists using mobile 'phones. The
cycles weaved slowly in and out of the pedestrians.
In the city centre, at least, pedestrians, cyclists
and moderate amounts of motorised traffic blended together easily
without physical measures to separate the traffic streams or to
control pedestrian behaviour. There was also a considerable degree
of mutual tolerance shown by those using different forms of transport.
The most extraordinary feature of Ferrara is that this happy blend
has been achieved largely through a shift of attitudes rather
than through traffic engineering. The physical limitations on
vehicle movement, for example, are few and unobtrusive. The existing
initiatives appeared to be working very successfully and the local
planners felt that they were gaining local support for further
restrictions on cars in the central areas.
Munich
We ended our visit in Munich, which has one of the
largest pedestrian areas (approximately 109,000 square metres)
in Europe. There we had an excellent presentation and tour showing
how pedestrianisation had been achieved in a large area of the
city centre. It was claimed that shops in the area were doing
more business as a consequence of the scheme. In addition, we
had a presentation about Park and Ride schemes and an opportunity
to talk to other transport chiefs. We also saw plans to improve
pedestrian areas in local neighbourhoods. Finally, we had a chance
to hear the opinions of the local Chamber of Commerce. They were
very supportive of the city centre pedestrianisation, but not
of smaller neighbourhood schemes. We also learned that, as in
Barcelona, Munich is busily covering part of its inner ring motorway-to
improve traffic flow, but also to offer added walking areas to
reconnect areas cut off by the motorway.
Munich's experience highlights the importance of
taking a bold and comprehensive approach to planning. First, the
pedestrianisation scheme is linked to support for specialised
and mainstream retail activities (each having its own pedestrian
spine route). In addition, there is no policy of progressively
adding to the pedestrian area, which would be opposed by the retailers.
Secondly, the provision of good quality and high capacity rail-based
public transport is seen as being necessary to create an attractive
city centre. Thirdly, the development of commercial and retail
facilities outside the centre or beyond the reach of public transport
interchanges is strictly controlled. Accessibility is a key feature
in the planning of land use and transport with the intention of
locating such developments within 600 metres of a railway station
and 400 metres of a bus stop. Efforts are also being made to retain
residential accommodation in the city centre with around 9,000
people living in the Altstadt (the area within the inner ring
road) at present.
The planning of the transport system is founded on
the basis of the share of trips undertaken by each mode and targets
for changing this. According to the last survey, which took place
in 1991, 40 per cent of journeys in Munich were made by car; 27
per cent by public transport; 22 per cent on foot and ten per
cent by bicycle. Although it is not intended to increase the proportion
of trips made on foot, this is partly in recognition of the city's
expansion and the longer distances that will result. The share
of all journeys made by public transport and bicycle, however,
are both expected to increase at the expense of the car.
As in Barcelona and Milan, we found that Munich pays
close attention to the design and quality of public spaces. Pedestrians
are not confined by railings or by staggered crossings; attention
is paid to paving materials, landscaping and street furniture;
and the quality of workmanship is unmatched by most British local
authorities. The use of streetscape designers within multi-disciplinary
teams was confirmed in all the cities visited and the benefits
are most apparent. Civic pride is nurtured by the work that is
undertaken to create and improve public spaces and that, in turn,
is seen as important for maintaining the importance of cities
and holding back the threat of US-style urban sprawl.
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