Overview

• Via Laietana reopened on June 29 after a three-year, €38 million project that reduced five traffic lanes to three and expanded sidewalks for pedestrians, buses and bicycles.
• The inauguration day featured a car-free festival with music, circus performances, workshops and human castells along the renovated thoroughfare.
• Barcelona’s city council will deploy license-plate reading cameras after summer to enforce uphill lane restrictions and sanction unauthorized vehicles.
• A coalition of 33 neighborhood associations, businesses and merchants condemned the lack of consensus and warned the changes could trigger traffic gridlock.
• Valencia will begin a 14-month, €24 million renovation of Pérez Galdós and Giorgeta avenues on June 30, widening sidewalks, adding green zones and a two-way bike lane while restricting private vehicle access.