How will the departure of the Tour de France affect mobility in Barcelona?

BarcelonaBarcelona is warming up its engines for the start of the Tour de France, which will depart from the Catalan capital for the first time. The race will begin on July 4 with a team time trial ending in Montjuïc, covering 19.7 km, starting from the seafront and passing through iconic city landmarks such as the Sagrada Família, Passeig de Gràcia, and Barceloneta beach. The second stage will be on Sunday, July 5, starting from Tarragona and arriving in Barcelona after 178 km, passing through Torredembarra, Sitges, El Garraf, a demanding uphill section to Begues, and three short but explosive climbs to Montjuïc Castle after entering Barcelona with a route modified due to the swine fever outbreak in Collserola. The third stage, on Monday, July 6, will start from Granollers and head through Centelles, Vic, Ripoll, and reach the Pyrenees with the Collada de Toses as an attractive point, before seeing the cyclists head towards French territory, with the destination being the finish in Les Angles.

The Barcelona City Council has prepared an extensive operation to ensure mobility when the Grand Départ, as the start of the race has been named, arrives. The council recommends using the metro to get around the city and will increase its service by between 30% and 40%. In total, six out of ten districts will be affected, especially Eixample, Sants-Montjuïc, and Sant Martí, where the main routes and activities of a race that will attract thousands of people will be concentrated. According to the City Council, a crowd similar to that of a Three Kings' Cavalcade is expected.

How will it affect the city?

During the days of the Tour, getting around the city will be different. The race circuits will be completely closed to traffic, which will generate a physical barrier that cannot be crossed outside of designated points. The idea is to have signposted points where citizens can cross to the other side of the route with the help of volunteers who will provide information. The Tour will involve restrictions on private vehicle access to areas closest to the route, as well as parking prohibitions on many streets days in advance, duly signposted. At all times, however, the mobility of emergency services will be guaranteed, with specific routes enabled.

On July 2nd, the first road closures

On July 2nd, the team presentation will take place. The impact will be concentrated around the Sagrada Família and Gaudí Avenue, which will be closed to traffic along with adjacent streets. Within this area, access to parking lots will be restricted, public space will be reorganized, and mobility will be mainly on foot within the perimeter. Additionally, restaurants and bars will not be allowed to have terraces on Gaudí Avenue, as the teams will parade from the modernist Sant Pau hospital to the Sagrada Família through the center of the avenue.

Traffic disruptions will begin on the night of the 1st on Gaudí Avenue with the placement of protective barriers and definitive traffic closures from 2:00 PM onwards. The main event will take place between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM, and reopening will be progressive from 9:30 PM onwards.

The time trial on the 4th, the most problematic moment

On July 4th, the team time trial will cross the city from Parc del Fòrum to Montjuïc, affecting some of the main road arteries: Litoral Avenue, streets such as Bac de Roda, Llull, and Josep Pla in Sant Martí, and structural routes in Eixample and Sant Martí like Rambla Guipúscoa, Aragó street, Passeig de Gràcia, and Mallorca or Lepant streets. The route will continue towards Tarragona street, Plaça d'Espanya, and Maria Cristina, until reaching Montjuïc. It will be the most complicated day, as the teams will travel across the city from one end to the other, dividing it in two.

The disruptions will begin around 12:00 PM, with the total closure of the circuit at 1:30 PM. The most restrictive period will be between 4:00 PM and 7:30 PM, coinciding with the development of the race, and normality will gradually be restored from 8:30 PM.

Regarding the Ronda Litoral, there will be occasional closures and limitations at various access and exit points, mainly in the Besòs direction, to ensure the safety of the route and avoid interference with the sporting event. The entrances and exits of exit 26 will remain operational in both directions, but exit 25 in the Besòs direction will be closed, while the entrance at this same point will remain open. Additionally, entrances and exits 23 and 24 in the Besòs direction will be closed, limiting connectivity in this section. In the Llobregat direction, exit 24 (with restricted functionality, oriented only towards Parc del Fòrum and Diagonal Mar) and entrance 24 will remain open.

Entrance 23 in the Llobregat direction will also be open, although practically isolated, with limited use for residual traffic. On the other hand, exit 23 in the Llobregat direction will be closed. Finally, the entrances and exits of exit 22 will remain open in both directions.

On July 5th, fewer neighborhoods affected

On July 5, with the arrival of the second stage, the entrance will be made via the Collblanc road and will continue along Travessera de les Corts, Carrer de Sants, and Carrer de la Creu Coberta, until Plaça Espanya. From here, the activity will focus on Montjuïc, with effects on roads such as Avinguda Paral·lel, Passeig de Montjuïc, Avinguda Miramar, or Carretera de Montjuïc.

Restrictions will also begin at 12:00 PM, with full closure at 1:30 PM. Between 3:45 PM and 5:45 PM, Montjuïc mountain will be practically isolated, and traffic will be restored from 6:00 PM.

Crossing points

To guarantee people's mobility, a network of more than 50 pedestrian crossing points will be set up along the entire route, properly signposted and with support staff. These points will be distributed so that there is always a crossing option within a five-minute walk, although during the race they may be temporarily regulated or closed. The system incorporates both controlled surface crossings and temporary elevated walkways, which allow pedestrians to cross safely without interfering with the development of the race.

The elevated walkways are modular, lightweight, and temporary structures, with sufficient height to allow emergency vehicles and public transport to pass, if necessary. In parallel, the surface crossings have delimited and controlled waiting areas, which allow for the organization of pedestrian flows and prevent crowds on the road during peak times.

The metro service, reinforced

The Barcelona City Council and TMB recommend using the metro to get around the city on July 2, 4, and 5, when the usual service will be increased by up to 40%, a particularly significant reinforcement on lines 1 and 5. Regarding metro disruptions, on July 2, L2 trains will not stop at Sagrada Família station from midday, due to the direct impact of the team presentation event at the accesses of this line and for safety reasons. In contrast, the Sagrada Família station on L5 will be fully operational and the service will be increased with up to nine more trains during the afternoon.

Regarding buses, numerous lines will be affected and will adapt their routes to the stages and the team presentation event. Specifically, there will be eleven lines on the 4th and three on the 5th that will be out of service.