Although it is not the most widely used form of transport in either of the two main Spanish cities, the use of private vehicles to get around Madrid and Barcelona continues to wreak havoc in terms of mobility. Not only in terms of environmental and pollution issues, but also in terms of lost time due to traffic jams.
This is reflected in the figures provided by two Tom Tom Traffic Index studies carried out by the Mobility Institute, promoted by the RACC and Deloitte. According to data from these reports, Madrid and Barcelona drivers spend more than two full days each year in traffic jams. Specifically, 48 hours a year are lost in these circumstances in the case of Madrid and 51 in the Catalan capital.
This situation causes many private vehicle users to decide to park it in car parks or areas further away from city centers. Consequently, many of them end up combining the journey with a private vehicle with the use of some type of public transport, thus favoring a greater intermodality to move around these cities.
Taken together in all its forms, public transport continues to be the preferred modality for getting around by the citizens of both cities, the studies indicate. In the two metropolises, the percentage of people who regularly use it is 46%, followed by the use of private vehicles, which is, however, higher in Madrid than in Barcelona both in terms of use and possession.
It is also remarkable the increase in the use of forms of transport known as “active mobility”, which includes travel by bicycle, scooter or walking. In this case, Barcelona is the leader in this section with 22.4% of people who bet on this option, while in the Spanish capital it stands at 13.4%. In both cases, the option of getting around on foot is the favorite within this group.
