News
New bus lanes and stations: how Barcelona wants to change entry into the city
Entering Barcelona each morning could change in the coming years. The City Council is considering a major transformation of the city’s main access routes, with the aim of reducing traffic jams and giving genuine priority to public transport.
The plan focuses on key corridors such as the Meridiana, Diagonal and Gran Via. The idea is not to add more space for cars, but to reorganise the existing space so that buses are faster and more reliable, especially at peak times.
One of the main measures is to create double bus lanes. Urban transport would run next to the kerb, while intercity buses would have their own lane to enter key stations directly, avoiding traffic.
Strengthening strategic hubs such as Fabra i Puig and the future La Sagrera station is also being considered, to better absorb passenger flows. The aim is to distribute demand and avoid saturation points that now recur every day.
The transformation of Avenida Meridiana will be one of the most visible changes. It will go from being an urban motorway to a more integrated axis, with green areas, better crossings and more space for pedestrians and bicycles.
If you enter or leave Barcelona every day, you may notice more predictable journeys that are less dependent on traffic if you use public transport. By contrast, getting around by car could be less convenient at some access points, as space is redistributed. In the medium term, the change points towards a city where buses take centre stage and daily journeys are faster and more stable.