Castellón creates pedestrianised spaces for people out of main boulevards

Castellón de la Plana is revamping major parts of its wide boulevard Vicente Blasco Ibanez to become a place for people. Three of the boulevard’s four crossings are closed to motorised traffic, creating a strip of pedestrianised road space of about 500m. Adding to the closure of the road, the city is currently entertaining tactical urbanism interventions using games and painting surface and street furniture to get people using the space, creating a more pleasant atmosphere for the boulevard.

Jorge Ribes, Sustainable Mobility Advisor to the city, explains that: “With the new intervention in Blasco Ibanez, we are prioritising pedestrians and creating a safer area, by closing crossings for vehicular traffic and promoting the use of public spaces by citizens. We are responding to a request from the residents of the area to calm the perimeter of the road and thus help reduce the speed of vehicles passing through it.”

Castellón de la Plana based this piece of pedestrianisation on experiences gained by a pilot on Avenida de Capuchinos, where all crossings of the Avenida were closed but for two. Both actions are placed in the Sustainable Urban Mobility and Road Safety Plan 2016-2024, striving to achieve a balance between the needs of people and the circulation of vehicles in the city.