Spanish City Has Prohibited Cars Since 1999 And Residents Describe It As A ‘Paradise’

Dec 12, 2019 by apost team

Most cities are plagued by heavy traffic and the problems that come along with it, such as air pollution and car accidents. One city in Spain, however, has solved the problem – by banning cars.

Back in 1999, Pontevedra, which is north of the border between Spain and Portugal, was a city with problems. Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores told The Guardian that the number of cars passing through the city exceeded that of Pontevedra’s population.

“There were a lot of drugs, it was full of cars – it was a marginal zone. It was a city in decline, polluted, and there were a lot of traffic accidents. It was stagnant. Most people who had a chance to leave did so." 

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Lores also firmly believed that drivers should not have more rights to public space than pedestrians. Pontevedra’s head of infrastructure, César Mosquera, agreed with Lores. He was particularly concerned about the welfare of children and seniors, who often couldn’t safely cross streets because of cars. He also noted that cars were a private property that was occupying public spaces.

Shortly after he was elected mayor in 1999, Lores decided to ban all non-essential vehicular traffic from Pontevedra’s medieval center, which covers around 300,000 square meters (0.12 square miles).

"We decided to take back the public space for the residents and to do this we decided to get rid of cars," he told The Guardian.

There are a few exceptions to the ban. For example, if somebody wants to get married in the medieval center, the bride and groom may drive in – but everybody else has to walk.

Since then, Pontevedra has seen a dramatic improvement in air quality. Carbon emissions have dropped by 70 percent since 1999.

There are also far fewer deaths due to road accidents. The Guardian reported that there had been 30 fatalities from traffic accidents between 1996 and 2006, 10 fatalities between 2006 and 2009 – and none at all over the past ten years.

Nearly 75 percent of trips once made by car are now made by cycling or walking. While most other towns in the area have seen their populations decline over the years, Pontevedra’s population has increased by 12,000.

The main complaints about the ban revolve around the increase of traffic around Pontevedra’s periphery and the lack of public transportation between the periphery and the town’s center. Residents told The Guardian, however, they find Pontevedra easy to navigate and consider it a good place to raise children. Raquel García told the publication, “I’ve lived in Madrid and many other places and for me this is paradise. Even if it’s raining, I walk everywhere."

The ban hasn’t hurt Lores’ popularity, either. He’s been re-elected four times since the car ban went into effect and is still mayor to this day.

There are a few other car-free cities around the world. Venice is arguably the best-known, and its many canals make driving impossible. Other cities, like Ghent in Belgium, decided to ban cars to reduce traffic fatalities and air pollution.

Have you heard of Pontevedra or any other car-free towns? Would you like to live in a place that had no cars? Tell us what you think below. Pass this article on to somebody who would enjoy learning about this place.