The sidewalks are the last battlefield in this city. The residents of Barcelona are tired of having to walk with jumps and twists, of being forced to avoid abandoned excrement of very different sizes from so many pet animals, of being startled at best by bicycles, scooters and other personal mobility devices. cases when passing quickly by them, and also coming across parked motorcycles and large terraces on their daily paths.
It is the most notable conclusion that emerges from the analysis of the 314 proposals made by Barcelona residents in the process of virtual citizen participation orchestrated by the government of Mayor Jaume Collboni to reform the municipal civility ordinance, the regulations that came into force in 2006. in order to guarantee coexistence in public spaces, a text that has long been pending updating and review.
Curiously, the idea with the most support, up to 67, calls for the creation of collection points for gray and black water from motorhomes. In any case, the fatigue on the sidewalks quickly takes center stage in the process. In second place, citizen Francesc Riera garnered 60 supports after proposing that the City Council prohibit scooters from circulating in these spaces and require their riders to have helmets, insurance, permits…
And thirdly, Miguel Ángel and his 55 supporters so that the City Council ensures that flower beds, corners and streetlights do not become pipicans, that if a dog cannot reach an authorized area, its owner is in charge of cleaning the place. The comments show how more and more people want the habit of walking the dog with a bottle of water to become the norm.
And then, among many other signs of fatigue with excrement and scooters, other neighbors ask that they once and for all prevent motorcycles from parking on the sidewalks, that they restrict the hours and spaces of the terraces under homes, that they prohibit throwing cigarette butts on the ground, that veto the locksmiths’ stickers, put an end to so much graffiti, install more public toilets… and let the City Council find a way to collect most of the fines it imposes under this rule.
Barcelona has changed a lot since those times when people still asked for directions instead of checking them on their cell phones. Then the debate was centered around begging, street vending and the practice of prostitution, issues that are now not being reflected with that prominence. Back then, more children than dogs lived here, scooters and other junk were still mere entertainment, and concerns about tourism were more related to the nuisance of drunks than to their impact on the environment and the housing market.
Apart from proposals derived from personal indignation, many Barcelona residents are also taking advantage of this process to show their concern for the future of the city, for issues of greater significance that do not correspond to regulation in the civility ordinance but that also mark the daily life of residents. and that administrations should not ignore.
“We are very satisfied with the participation in this process – says Montserrat Surroca, municipal commissioner of Coexistence –, with the high number of proposals, supports and comments. They are a reflection of the changes produced in these 18 years and the need to reform this ordinance. We also held three face-to-face sessions where around 125 people participated, many of them representatives of neighborhood entities.”
The period for the admission of ideas opened on February 7 and closed on Monday. A Table of Third Sector Entities, representatives of the Administrative Police, the Federation of Neighborhood Associations, the LGTBI Council, the Women’s Council and catering, culture and tourism entities ensure that everything runs smoothly. Municipal technicians are already studying the proposals and considering their incorporation into the reform of the ordinance. This reform also aims to improve the municipal administrative efficiency and that each issue is regulated by the appropriate rule.
The objective of the municipal government is to have the necessary political support to approve the new ordinance at the end of the year. In any case, at the moment the political debate is marked by possible agreements regarding the budgets and governance of the City Council. Conversations around civility will accelerate later.
