GironaIn a global context marked by the erosion of rights, a means of transport like the bicycle has become, more than ever, an ideological symbol. Consequently, political polarization directly impacts decisions regarding sustainable mobility. The 2023 municipal elections marked a turning point in many cities: the arrival of new governments has influenced the management of bike lanes, often citing arguments of safety or freedom to move around by car. We have seen this in Castelldefels, Palma, Elche, Valladolid, and Logroño, and Lisbon has drawn attention for impounding bicycles parked in public spaces. At the same time, in Barcelona, the socialist government of Jaume Collboni has maintained the infrastructure but reduced the push for new traffic-calming measures. In Girona, however, the dynamic is different. It has become established in the last decade as the cycling capital of southern Europe, and businesses linked to the sector have multiplied almost fivefold. If at the beginning of 2014 there were only eight cycling shops In the city, there are currently 41. The bicycle has also become an economic and tourist engine: if in Barcelonaexpanded He lives in a rented apartment costing over 2,000 euros and drinks specialty coffees costing 5 euros; in Girona he is accompanied by a high-end road or gravel bike and equipment worth over 4,000 euros.
A change of strategy
This boom in cycle tourism poses new challenges for coexistence and urban management. This debate is generating friction within the municipal government. Guanyem Girona, Lluc Salellas's party, has suggested regulating new licenses for cycling businesses in the Barri Vell and Mercadal districts, where rental prices have risen the most and no new tourist apartment licenses are being granted. This decision comes at a time when regular cyclists are finding that their usual repair shops are closing and there are fewer and fewer affordable options outside the realm of professional athletes or foreign tourists. Junts, part of the coalition government, points out that the business generates an economic impact of between 120 and 150 million euros annually. This internal division within the City Council highlights the need to rethink strategies without framing cycling as the problem. For now, cycling, and by extension bicycles, has become a political weapon to win or lose votes. Girona is the cycling capital of southern Europe; what if it were also the capital of sustainable mobility? The data supports this perspective: 9.8% of trips to Girona are made by bicycle, according to the ATM mobility survey; the city has almost 50 km of cycle paths and 16 years of success for GirocletaThe public bicycle system will continue to expand in Salt. Thus, the main challenge is not cyclists, but the presence of the car as the dominant option.
Getting from one end of Girona to the other takes a maximum of 15 minutes without significant changes in elevation, and more and more families are using it. They're betting on cargo bikes to carry out daily maintenance. However, a network of safe lanes and parking areas is necessary, as well as real training for the youngest drivers – such as workshops with the 1bike+ method of the Comucleta–, to believe cycle logistics as a real option in the Barri Vell and create a space for weaving alliances so that Girona is not only a cycling capital, but also the capital of sustainable mobility.
