Motorbikes and mobility provide the focus for the 28th Barcelona Road Safety Forum
Motorbikes provided the focus for the 28th Barcelona Road Safety Forum, which was held this morning at the CaixaForum. Barcelona has the highest number of motorbikes per inhabitant in Europe, accounting for 33% of all vehicles. Motorbikes are therefore a fundamental and strategic element for mobility in the city, with better motorbike mobility also meaning better safety is a must.
The 28th Barcelona Road Safety Forum shared different ways of improving road safety for motorbike riders, a challenge which extends equally to riders, organisations, manufacturers and administrations.
The first round table looked at the current state of motorbike mobility in Barcelona, highlighting the strategic role of motorbikes for getting around in the city. Some 450,000 journeys are made by motorbike in the city every day, accounting for 6.2% of the overall volume. The session analysed the challenges for motorbikes, such as road safety, the use of space, sustainability and interaction with other means of transport.
The second round table looked at the human factor in motorbike mobility, pointing to motorbike riders as one of the most vulnerable groups in the mobility pyramid, along with cyclists. Of the 23 road deaths in the city this year, 16 were motorbike riders, 5 were pedestrians and 2 were in vehicles.
This scenario makes it essential to have more influence in the training and education of all collectives, strive for compliance with traffic regulations, improve their characteristics, renew vehicles on the roads and improve elements of urban design, such as surfaces and signage.
