Hundreds of activists, summoned by about thirty associationshave taken to the streets of various Spanish cities in protest at the “reversal” of sustainable mobility recorded in recent months and promoted by local governments across the political spectrum (although mainly by city councils with right-wing parties or coalitions).
Bilbao, Barcelona, Badalona, Madrid, Valladolid, Valencia, Logroño, Gijón, Málaga, Murcia, Palma, Castellón, Elche or Coslada They are some of the cities designated as “black spots”, visited throughout the Sunday with two-wheeled “bicycle festivals” or rallies such as the one held in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, under the slogan “Not one step back.”
“We express our concern about the setback that is occurring in the Spanish state as a result of the constitution of city councils after the May 2023 elections,” can be read in the mobility manifesto, signed by groups such as Ecologistas en Acción, Greenpeace , Friends of the Earth, WWF, Pedalibre, Respira Madrid, A Pie or Madres por el Clima.
The protesters read a long list of “negative reforms” undertaken in cities, such as the dismantling of bike lanes, the elimination of traffic restrictions gained during Covid, the removal of bollards and protection elements from school zones and the slowdown or reduction to a minimum of low-emission zones (ZBE).
“Municipal authorities must have the protection of the population’s health as their top priority,” argue the signatories of the manifesto, who urge citizens to mobilize to “prevent cities from being colonized again by cars and losing their timid improvements achieved”.