The Salt City Council has put out to tender the first phase of expansion of the municipality's cycle network, an action valued at 900,165.88 euros which is conditioned on the confirmation of funding through a grant from the Spanish Railways Foundation.
The complete project has a budget of 1.4 million euros and is divided into two stages. The second phase, which does not yet have a date, is valued at 528,726.98 euros. If state aid is confirmed and the planned schedule is maintained, the works of the first phase could begin this year and would have an estimated duration of five months.
Planned actions in Marquès de Camps, Francesc Macià and Doctor Castany
The first phase focuses on several axes of the urban core. One of the main ones is the Marquès de Camps promenade, between the Avenue de la Pau and Major Street. In the section between the Avenue de la Pau and the Avenue dels Països Catalans, the central island will be maintained and one of the traffic lanes towards the center will be eliminated to enable a bidirectional bike lane.
In the section of the same promenade between Avinguda dels Països Catalans and Major Street, the intervention foresees suppressing the parking area in the direction of Major Street to gain space for the cycling lane.
Action will also be taken on Francesc Macià street, between Avinguda de la Pau and Major street. There, the bike lane will occupy the space of the current blue zone parking, loading and unloading, and motorcycle parking in the direction of Avinguda de la Pau. In the vicinity of La Massana park, within this same area, the infrastructure will pass through a part of the sidewalk.
Another of the points included in this first phase is Doctor Castany street, between Moreneta street and Pau avenue, in the vicinity of Santa Caterina hospital and the area planned for the new Health campus. Between Llevadores street and Pau avenue, the bike lane will be located in a space that is now a sidewalk. Between Llevadores and Moreneta it will occupy part of the roadway and the two traffic lanes will reduce their width.
A second phase without a defined date
The second phase plans new actions on Martí i Pol street, between the Carlins path and the Catalan Countries promenade. At this point, the bike lane will pass through free parking spaces located in front of the sports area and also through current blue zone parking spaces in front of the bowling alley. In front of l'Era del Cigarro, the free spaces will be maintained and the cycling path will run on the sidewalk.
The plan also incorporates a new bike lane on Moreneta street, between Francesc Macià and Doctor Castany. In the section next to the playground, parking spaces will not be eliminated and the lane will go on the sidewalk. Between Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Doctor Castany, the row of free on-street parking spaces located next to the main road will be removed, while those in the green zone will be preserved.
From there, the connection will continue along Pau Masó street until the intersection with Alfons Morè, on the border with Girona. On this street, the bike lane will occupy the area of free angled parking spaces, which will be replaced by parallel parking spaces.
Bicycle parking, lockers and counters
The contract foresees six high-capacity bicycle parking facilities at points considered main mobility-generating centers. They will be enclosed facilities with capacity for ten bicycles each.
- In La Massana park
- Between Francesc Macià and Moreneta streets
- On Miquel Martí i Pol street in front of the municipal swimming pool
- At El Carrilet municipal nursery school
- Three on Avinguda dels Països Catalans next to the municipal pavilion, Coma Cros and the Market
Five of these parking spaces will be executed in the first phase and one in the second. The project also includes ten lockers, five in each stage.
Also planned is the installation of bicycle counters on Miquel Martí i Pol street next to Espai Gironès, on Doctor Alemany street next to Santa Caterina hospital and at two points on Francesc Macià street, one next to the EUSES headquarters and another in the northern area of the road. The tender document sets as the objective of these devices to evaluate the results after the execution of the infrastructure and adjust future actions and connections with other cycling routes.
More internal connections and with Girona
The council maintains that the expansion seeks to improve cycling mobility conditions within the urban core, increase the safety of journeys and promote more sustainable mobility. The project is supported by a context of high daily mobility. A study by the Generalitat estimates at 106,663 the journeys made in Salt on a working day.
According to that same study, 44% of those journeys are internal and the rest correspond to connections with other municipalities, especially with Girona. Only 0.5% of displacements are currently made by bicycle.
Within the framework of the rapid bus corridor between Salt and Girona, a bike lane has already been built along the entire Avinguda dels Països Catalans. Since 2022, the City Council has been taking steps to promote the expansion of the cycling network. The contractual forecast sets four months of works for the second phase when it comes to be activated.