Source: ZICLA.

The cycle lane on Barcelona’s Calle Bilbao: a two-way vertical axis for bicycle traffic.

PROJECT NAME: Cycle lane on Calle Bilbao
CITY: Barcelona – Spain
LOCATION: Calle Bilbao.
DATE OF INSTALLATION: 2018
  Barcelona continues to expand its network of cycle lanes and to distribute the urban space more evenly among the different modes of transport, opening up spaces for bicycles, improving the bus network and giving priority to people travelling on foot with the enlargement of pavements and by pacifying streets to provide convenience and safety. Extending the network of cycle lanes is one of the city’s key measures to achieve this adaptation.

Project requirements and objectives.

Cyclists who wanted to descend from Paseo Maragall to the beach did not have a cycle lane to do this. The project’s aim was to connect this street with Avenida del Litoral to thus generate a vertical axis that would reach the sea.

The proposed solution.

The proposed solution was to build a two-way segregated cycle lane on the Besòs side of the vertical axis of Navas de Tolosa – Bilbao – Jonquera between Calle Olesa and Avenida del Litoral. In the section between Calle Taulat and Avenida del Litoral, Barcelona City Council chose the modules of the Zipper® system to segregate the cycle lane. In addition, the modules of the ZICLA Vectorial® system were used to build islets in which to install the traffic light posts. This system is modular and its modules can be installed continuously or discontinuously, allowing for multiple configurations to be built. The Zipper® system is characterised primarily for: ZICLA cycle lane The cycle lane on Barcelona's Calle Bilbao: a two-way vertical axis for bicycle traffic. 1
  1. Adapting to any type of road, in particular to avenues.
  2. Being highly visible thanks to the fact that almost 50% of the module surfaces are reflective.
  3. Its modules being made from recycled plastic, making them recyclable, so their environmental impact is minimal; this is an eco-designed product.
  4. Being competitive because it allows a project to be quickly implemented with minimal intervention on public roads.
  5. Its modules being highly resistant to impact and to weather conditions, plus having four anchorage points in the road surface.
  6. Being customisable, as the modules can be painted in different colours.