The mayor of Girona, Lluc Salellas, ordered this Monday the Municipal Police to open an investigation for the circulation of a cyclist on the stairs of the Pujada de Sant Domènec, in the Barri Vell. The objective is to identify the author of the acts and process the corresponding sanction.
The case has reopened in the city a conflict that goes beyond a specific infraction. While Girona has consolidated itself as a cycling tourism destination, the episode once again places at the center the coexistence between that use of urban space, the preservation of heritage, and the safety of pedestrians in the historic center.
Salellas ordered to open a file after the video recorded in Pujada de Sant Domènec
The municipal decision came after the broadcast of a video in which a cyclist appears going down the stairs of the Pujada de Sant Domènec, one of the most recognizable points of the Barri Vell. The council activated the sanctioning route through the Municipal Police.
The file seeks to identify the cyclist.
In a message published on the X network, Lluc Salellas lashed out against these types of behaviors. The mayor maintained that some cycle tourists "disdain the city's heritage and use it to show off."
The Municipal Police maintain controls all year round in the Barri Vell
Beyond this episode, the Municipal Police maintains an active specific device throughout the year in the Barri Vell to sanction those who do not respect heritage or traffic signals. That operation focuses on an area where neighborhood traffic, tourist activity, and a high pedestrian flow coincide.
The video was disseminated this Monday.
The discussion that has resurfaced in Girona affects very specific areas of the historic center, with the Pujada de Sant Domènec as the scene of the latest case. The debate pits the attraction that the city exerts on cycle tourism against the limits imposed by the protection of heritage and the shared use of streets and staircases in the Barri Vell.
The Municipal Police maintains this sanctioning device throughout the year in the Barri Vell to act against those who disregard traffic signs or damage heritage.