The new interactive signs are designed to raise driver awareness, displaying the speed they are travelling at but without leading to fines, and collecting data to help determine any future measures. The signs have electronic panels showing drivers and riders how fast they are going and alerting them if they’re exceeding the established limit.
The radar signs, which come into operation from 1 December, are located in streets with 50 km/h speed limits, except for three locations where the limit is 30 km/h.
The signs differ from normal speed cameras as they measure and report speeds, but without leading to fines. They form part of the plan to enforce speed limits better at points where accidents occur more frequently and in areas around schools, where drivers must reduce their speed to 30 km/h.
The goal of the measure is to raise driver and rider awareness about the importance of respecting the established speed limits. The signs will also enable the Area for Mobility to gather general information on the behaviour of drivers around the entire road network relating to speed limits, and to take decisions taking these data into account.
The new radar speed signs are in the following locations:
- Carrer de Pau Claris with Plaça d’Urquinaona
- Avinguda del Paral·lel with Carrer de Palaudàries
- Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 159
- Carrer A (Zona Franca)
- Ronda del General Mitre, 40 (inside the tunnel)
- Carrer de Balmes, 371
- Ronda del General Mitre, 79
- Carrer d’Isaac Newton, 24
- Avinguda de J. V. Foix with Carrer de Ramon Miquel i Planas
- Avinguda de Vallvidrera, 68
- Avinguda de Vallvidrera, 25
- Carrer d’Anglí, 33
- Travessera de Dalt, 25-27, with Carrer de Verdi
- Travessera de Dalt, 16, with Carrer de Verdi
- Avinguda de l’Estatut with Carrer de Jorge Manrique
- Carrer de Piferrer, 72-74
- Passeig de Fabra i Puig, 408
- Carrer de Santander, 61
- Carrer de Felip II, s/n
- Carrer de Ferran Junoy, 12
- Avinguda Meridiana with Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret
- Carrer d’Aragó, 609
- Avinguda del Litoral, 40
- Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 1,060-1,062
- Avinguda del Litoral with Carrer de Jaume Vicens Vives
- Carrer de Rocafort, 61 (30 km/h)
- Carrer de la Creu Coberta, 54 (30 km/h)
- Carrer d’Iradier, s/n (30 km/h)
Key road safety measure
The measure corresponds to the City Council’s commitment to boost road safety and reduce the number of accidents in the Catalan capital. One of the main indirect causes of accidents, and one which worsens their effects, is excess speed.
In light of this, Barcelona City Council has opted for this automatic means of enforcing speed limits within the city, in line with the goals in the Urban Mobility Plan (PMU) 2024 and the Local Road Safety Plan.
The 28 new signs come in addition to the 17 fixed speed cameras in the city, 12 of them in areas around schools and 5 of them fixed distance cameras, and the 13 speed cameras outside Barcelona, located around the ring roads and access roads into the city.