Transport is one of the key areas where cities have a direct ability to influence the choices that residents make in how they commute. Sustainable transport planning is very important in order to design the city structure and define which kind of city model residents will live in. According to the European Union Report European Transport Policy and Sustainable Mobility(1), sustainable mobility actives travel modes, with more health and environmental benefits, offering a better quality of life and improves accessibility. In the case of my hometown, Sevilla has investmented in cycling networks together with a subway line and changed the commuting system and improved the image of the city.
But, where is Sevilla? And why the city development in mobility issues has been so successful? Sevilla is the city where I was born. It is part of my childhood and my youth. Sevilla has personality, it is loud (in the Feria de Abril), serious (in the Semana Santa), it is colorful (in spring), charismatic, traditional and modern at the same time. It is a combination difficult to find in other parts of the world.
Sevilla is the capital of the province with the same name. It is the fourth largest city in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia). It is located in southern Spain, in Andalucía, on the east bank of the Guadalquivir River. Starting with the Tartessians, then the Carthaginians and the Romans, later the Almohads until 1248, Sevilla has a multicultural background. Sevilla had the control of the trade with the American Colonies for almost 300 years, but then an economic crisis began. The civil war and the dictatorship of Franco slowed down the development of the city. In 1975 with the return to democracy, new perspectives were possible and with the EXPO 92, Sevilla started to think which kind of city it wanted to be. New highways, the Spanish High Speed Rail System (AVE) and in the last years the subway construction has changed the mobility patterns of the city.
Sevilla has transformed itself into a cycling city, in 2006 the construction started with 12 km, now the bike lanes have a length of 243,8 km, 138 km in the city, and 105,8 km in the metropolitan area. The plan is to build 205,6 km more for the metropolitan area in the next years. Almost 15% of the diary travels are done by bike (72,000 travels) and 20 % by public transport(2).
This bike lane investment was made also with a rent bike service SEVici, is a service from the company JCDecaux that has this contract until 2016. I means that they have 544 publicity locations in the city and in return they are responsible for the installations, management and maintenance of 2.600 bicycles. Bikes are available 24 hours a day and the year season ticket is 33,33 Euros (36 $).
For all of that, Sevilla has suffered a major transformation in the last years. Sevilla is in the top 10 of the bicycle-friendly cities of Europe, and in less than ten years(3), the city has become the cycling capital of southern Europe(4).
(1) Mobility.eu
(2) bicicletas.us.es
(3) Theguardian.com
(4) Coppenhagenize Index
Sense of Place 