The only access road to Cadaqués, the regional Gi-614, is a narrow, winding road with many stretches of poor visibility, which prevents safe overtaking. The collapses that form in summer periods, vacations or bridges to be able to visit this tourist town on the Costa Brava are common. The retentions have come to exceed 10 kilometers one day. And many times these long lines of cars have bicycles at their head. As explained by the mayoress of the municipality, Pia Seriñana, the flow of cyclists, both professional and amateur, is present throughout the year as this is a mountain pass that appears in many cycling guides. But it is in summer, with a high volume of traffic, when the situation becomes more dangerous.
For years the City Council has been demanding the restriction of bikes in certain periods such as summer to “facilitate the fluidity” of circulation and “improve safety” on the Gi-614, which connects Roses with Cadaqués, but also on the Gi-613 that connects with Port de la Selva. According to data from the Servei Català de Trànsit, since 2018 a total of 21 accidents involving cyclists have been recorded on these two roads, which have left 25 victims, although none of them were fatal. The number of minor or serious injuries has practically doubled in the last five years (2018-2022) compared to the period 2007-2017. In 2019, the record number of 8 injuries in 7 accidents was reached.
A demand, that of restricting the access of bicycles in the summer months, holidays and vacations, which the Consistory put back on the table this week during a meeting with the territorial director of the Interior in Girona, Joan Mayoral. “It is the only access road to Cadaqués, it has a very high volume of traffic and the bikes often collapse the road and in summer there is the added risk of the possibility of fires”, says the mayoress. A stretch, which under normal conditions can be done in 20 minutes, can exceed an hour if the caravan of cars is towed by a cyclist. Seriñana is in favor of setting a schedule in which bicycle traffic is allowed, for example from 6 to 9 in the morning in summer, or from 7 in the afternoon, and keeping the rest of the day free of cyclists on this road. “Some circulate at 2 in the afternoon in extreme heat on board an electric or mountain bike, it is a risk to their health,” she adds.
The director of the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT), Ramon Lamiel, affirms that they are not considering banning bikes on this road, but they are studying some measures that help to “order” traffic and reduce the number of accidents. One of the possible actions is a signage that would warn drivers of the presence of cyclists on the road, such as the one that will be released in a tunnel on the N-145, between La Seu d’Urgell and Andorra. A movement sensor will detect the entry of a cyclist into the tunnel and a light signal will be activated, asking the driver to reduce speed. The SCT is also working on the implementation of an app, which would alert the driver that he has a cyclist a few meters away and also wants to regulate training in some periods to avoid an overbooking of bikes on the same road.
The Cadaqués City Council calls for the installation of fixed information panels that allow road users to know whether or not there are roadblocks to access the town. “A deterrent that would allow motorists who do not want to queue, to turn around,” explains Seriñana. The alternative last summer was mobile panels provided by the SCT. He also requests that on the days of activation of level 2 or 3 of the Alpha plan due to fire risk, the passage of motorhomes, tourist buses and trucks is also restricted.
