Barcelona aims to boost public transport during emergency air quality alerts

Barcelona will try to improve its public transport network during emergency air quality alerts. Starting on December 1, buses will have dedicated lanes on two of the city’s main access roads (B-23 and Gran Via) at times when pollution reaches peak levels, as well as running more trains, metros and buses.

The Catalan government hopes the measure will reduce the number of private vehicles entering the city by 130,000, and encourage between 175,000 and 350,000 new users on to public transport.

“Our message is not only addressed at those people who have highly-polluting vehicles, but also the population as a whole,” Catalan Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull, said at a press conference on Thursday. “We ask them to judge whether they really need to use private transport to get around on those days when there are restrictions.”