Traffic restrictions in place for National Day protest

If you are in Barcelona on September 11, bear in mind that mobility in the city will be severely reduced by this year's celebration of Catalonia's National Day and the massive pro-independence demonstration taking place in the city.

Traffic restrictions will be in place in the capital from midnight on Monday. Vehicles will be prohibited from using the top end of Avinguda Diagonal around the Palau Reial area. It is one of the main roads in Barcelona.

The prohibition is to allow work to be carried out on the scene of the protest called for pro-independence grassroots the Catalan National Assembly.

As this will affect one of the main exits and entrances of the city, the superintendant of Barcelona's Guàrdia Urbana police force, Carles Reyner, explained that the lateral entrance of Diagonal will remain open until early morning and will not be reopened until 11pm on Tuesday night after the demonstration.

Organized by the grassroots, pro-independence organization, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC in Catalan), this year's protest, dubbed 'Diada per la República' (National Day for the Republic), already has over 400,000 people signed up.

The rest of the avenue will be cut off as people begin to gather for the march at round four o' clock in the afternoon.

Parking restrictions for all types of vehicles will be restricted along the six kilometres that the march intends to occupy.

Reyner has asked citizens arriving in the city throughout the morning to plan their journeys, and to ideally walk or take public transport.