1. Last Wednesday in August, shortly after 8 p.m., when it was still light, a 29-year-old man died on the Rabassada road. The young motorcyclist was involved in an accident with a car between the turnoff to the Sant Medir road and the Font Groga viewpoint. The investigation will determine the causes of a tragedy that also left three people injured. The figures are grim, but they don't lie. The Rabassada road, the eleven kilometers that separate Barcelona from Sant Cugat, is the most dangerous road in the country. This is what the RACC (Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia) reports year after year. The average is more than three deaths each year on this stretch. The shocking fact is that in 100% of the accidents with fatalities and serious injuries, a motorcycle was included in the police report. The immediate consequence is that, this week, the Font Groga viewpoint has already been closed, preventing any vehicles from parking. This prevents risky movements, entrances and exits, and prevents motorcyclists eager for competition from making it their goal. So, goodbye to one of the best views of the Vallès and a picnic area with shade and tables for family enjoyment. Closed.
2. Many measures have been taken in recent years, but the death toll is still far from zero. For example, the viewpoint over Barcelona was closed off a few years ago with concrete New Jersey barriers. It was right there, halfway between the gas station and the turnoff to Tibidabo, where dozens of motorcyclists eager to party would gather. There were a handful of Dani Pedrosa wannabes (the Márquez brothers were kids back then) racing around the Rabassada. They timed each other to see who could be the fastest going to Sant Cugat and back to the starting point. They drove at full speed, and the overtaking, with their knees on the ground, became increasingly daring. This extremely high-risk sport for motorcyclists, but also for drivers and cyclists, has been on the decline for some time now, due to the difficult road conditions and police surveillance. But every now and then you still find a few scatterbrains who risk their lives to make their own record.
3. I know the Rabassada like the back of my head. Since 1986, I've ridden it so many times a week that I know every curve like it was my sock drawer. In these forty years, I've seen it all, because the road allowed it, with many sections of broken lines. In the last fifteen years, however, whatever happens, attempts have been made to stem the avalanche of accidents with all sorts of measures. Now, you can't run or overtake. The car in front of you at the last light in Sant Cugat will be right in front of you at the first light in Barcelona, past Vallparc. The line is continuous for eleven kilometers and has a vibration belt to help you know you're leaving your lane. Not only that: at the level of the rubble of the old Casino de la Rabassada, there is a speed control of 40 kilometers per hour. From that point on, and all the way to Barcelona, there is a double continuous line, with separation and road studs on the ground to prevent overtaking. Once you've reached the summit and are about to speed off toward Barcelona, a highly anticipated speed camera awaits you, snapping your picture if you're going over 50 km/h. Then, on the four tightest curves, there's a lane separation barrier to prevent motorcycles from racing or cutting corners by taking the curve on the inside. For a few years, this barrier was a single piece for five kilometers, but they realized the cure was worse than the disease. No one moved forward because it was physically impossible, but a collision with this separation was a safe passage to the hospital.
So far this year, 94 people have died on Catalan roads. Of these, 29 were on motorcycles at the time of the accident.
