Barcelona's plan to make peace with residents and tourists at Park Güell
Residents believe the City Council's measures to improve mobility in the area are insufficient.

BarcelonaThe reinforcement of the bus service, a greater presence of the City Police and Mobility Agents, as well as the possibility of accessing the park by bicycle during school hours, are the main measures that Barcelona City Council has presented to improve the quality of life of the residents around Park Güell. The First Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Laia Bonet, explained that these actions respond to the "neighborhood proposals and demandsin view of the critical situation that the community is reporting due to the overcrowding in their neighborhood.
Among the most immediate measures is the redesign of the taxi rank on Carmel Road, a road that residents describe as "impassable" and has become a source of ongoing conflict. In the fall, the rank will be moved to the bus platform located directly opposite, with the aim of improving traffic flow and reducing misconduct.
The current accumulation of tourist vehicles in the neighborhood makes it impossible for the buses to operate their routes during normal hours, not only due to the heavy traffic but also due to the reckless traffic they are constantly having to navigate. Since this measure requires a reorganization of the space, in the meantime, taxi passengers will be dropped off temporarily within the platform, while pickup will remain at the current stop on Carmel Road.
To strengthen surveillance and information, the Guardia Urbana (Urban Guard) has maintained an active presence in the area since the end of June, which will soon be expanded with the addition of civic officers. These officers will be responsible for providing information on the rules for using the taxi platform and mediating to minimize conflicts at the four busiest stops: Praga/Ronda Guinardó, Carmel/Plaza Josefina Torrents, Gran de Gràcia/Lesseps, and at the CAP Larrard. This was, in fact, a priority for users, as they requested that the mobility of residents who need to access their homes be prioritized over that of tourists.
In this regard, another of the most repeated complaints among residents is the lack of buses. Lieutenant Bonet has announced the reinforcement of the service, especially on line V19, which already has more vehicles in circulation during weekdays and weekends. The number of passengers has increased by 30%.
Expropriation of two buildings
Another new feature announced by Bonet is the possibility of bicycle access to Park Güell for the educational community and residents during school hours. The authorization will be valid from 7 am to 9 pm and from 8 pm to 10 pm, as well as during school entry and exit times. Bicycles within the park will be subject to speed limits and pedestrian priority, as established in the ordinance.
As for the park access ticketsBonet highlighted the implementation, starting July 1, of non-transferable, name-based tickets. This measure, already in place at other high-traffic monuments, aims to strengthen official ticket sales and will allow visitors to be directly informed of any unforeseen events that may arise, such as the closure of the park due to force majeure. All of these actions "are not a snapshot," Bonet concluded, emphasizing that this is an issue—the coexistence between residents and tourists—that they have been working on since the beginning of their term.
Finally, the City Council has initiated the expropriation of two emblematic buildings around the park, Casa Miranda and Casa Trias, which are part of a plan that includes the rehabilitation and opening of the Font del Carbó Gardens.
Neighbors demand measures
Although the number of annual visitors has dropped from 9 million to 4.5 million in the last ten years, "no neighborhood can support that number of annual visitors," says a resident and member of the Cerro de la Rovira neighborhood council, who insists on the need to halve ticket sales for public transport. "Barcelona residents" due to overcrowded lines.
On the other hand, while residents welcome the expropriation of Casa Miranda, seeing it as an opportunity to provide the neighborhood with its own space, they also fear that Casa Trias will become a museum that attracts even more visitors to a neighborhood that attracts even more visitors. €0.00 of the budget for this project will be used to improve the working conditions of the staff working at Parc Güell.