Barcelona prioritizes eliminating illegal pedicabs

“We don’t like pedicabs.” This was the message sent yesterday by the Deputy Mayor for Prevention, Albert Batlle, who, together with First Lieutenant Jaume Collboni, presented a campaign against personal mobility vehicles for economic activity and, specifically, against these tricycles that, as reported The vanguard last Saturday, again, they tried to conquer public space with the stroke of a rickety pedal.

“They do not fit into the city model and the tourist model. The pedicab is a means that does not help our road safety ”said Albert Batlle. “We cannot allow unregulated or irregular activities that occupy a space that is already dense,” added Jaume Collboni, who warned that eradicating illegal pedicabs will be a priority. Although, for the City Council it is still a need that the General Directorate of Traffic has a technical instruction – the City Council is participating in its preparation – and that the Generalitat regulates the sector as an economic activity, so that there is also a legal framework .

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Meanwhile, Collboni explained, the Consistory will continue to act through municipal ordinances as it has done so far and that establish that these vehicles cannot circulate freely: they have restricted areas, like a large part of Ciutat Vella, and their drivers can only circulate on bike lanes. They cannot make taxis, they have to follow routes. The pedestrian and vehicle circulation ordinance also establishes the obligation for them to be registered or have insurance. “We do not rule out more measures if the rules are not met,” said Jaume Collboni.

The inspector of the Urban Guard, Jordi Oliveras, explained that although the return is recent, 35 vehicles have already been sent to the depot. In 2020 there were a total of 186 and, in 2019, about 600. And counting these tricycles, as well as other personal mobility vehicles intended for economic activity – for example scooters – until the month of May, just this year, 588 complaints have been filed. A total of 253 are for parking-related issues and 326 for not complying with permits. Of the latter, 287 complaints correspond to pedicabs.

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