Barcelona and the DGT negotiate to prevent the new traffic regulations from collapsing the city

BarcelonaThe new traffic regulation from the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) came into effect this Thursday amidst controversy. To the point that cities like Barcelona have initially defied one of its most controversial new features: making the coexistence of flashing yellow traffic lights for vehicles and green lights for pedestrians incompatible. A system present in no less than 1,550 intersections in the Catalan capital, where the flashing yellow allows vehicles to advance if at that moment they do not have to yield to any pedestrian crossing the street.

The new regulation urges city councils to replace this system with one in which cars always have a red light while pedestrians are crossing. A premise that the Barcelona City Council does not share. Municipal sources explain that they have been in talks with the DGT about this aspect for weeks, and warn that "the strict application of the rule would imply a reduction in road capacity and an increase in traffic congestion." A scenario, in short, that could lead to daily chaos on most of the city's roads.

In statements to RAC1, the Director-General for Traffic, Pere Navarro, opened the door this Thursday to agreeing on exceptions to the general rule. "If a conclusive technical report justifies the exception, the flashing yellow light may be maintained or an alternative solution sought," he conceded. Navarro said that the measure responds to a change in traffic priorities: previously, fluidity was prioritized; now, road safety is. "The compatibility of traffic lights creates a risk," he warned.

In any case, he admitted that they are in contact with the Barcelona City Council and that the DGT signed an instruction this same Thursday to allow local governments to defend which exceptions they are requesting. After Navarro's announcement, the Catalan capital's city council has already explained that it will study the intersections where it is necessary to maintain the flashing yellow for vehicles at the same time as the green for pedestrians.

The City Council defends the current model

The Barcelona city council trusts in closing an agreement that avoids the strict application of the rule, because doing so would imply increasing the traffic light cycles and introducing more phases into them. This, according to municipal sources, would imply as a consequence "less green time, also for pedestrians". They point out, in addition, that safety would not be gained either. "The benefits for pedestrian safety from the flashing yellow would be lost, such as the visibility of the pedestrian crossing, the warning to drivers and the reinforcement of compliance with the obligation to yield the right of way".

Beyond the 1,550 intersections where the green light for pedestrians and the flashing yellow for vehicles coexist, in the Catalan capital the system is also used in bicycle mobility. In total there are approximately 500 intersections with flashing yellow for bikes to favor the continuity and fluidity of cycling routes and the capacity of the intersections where pedestrians, bikes and motorized traffic converge, benefits that could be affected by the application of the new regulation.