The Spanish city can now be crossed entirely by bike thanks to its cycle lanes. Signage, bike sharing and bicycle parking have made Seville a city built for pedalling.
Seville is dreaming big when it comes to cycling mobility, following in the footsteps of cities such as Nantes and Ljubljana, because northern Europe is not the only region capable of investing properly in the bicycle as a mode of transport for the future.
Between 2006 and 2011, the number of cyclists in the Spanish city increased tenfold, while between 2004 and 2010 the kilometres of cycle lanes were multiplied by ten. The city can now be crossed safely by bike, and the cycle lanes have been built along wide boulevards with broad pavements.
The cycle lanes are protected even where they do not have a physically separate alignment, and those running along paved stretches are marked out by metal studs bearing the bicycle symbol. Where the cycle lane narrows, a ground-level sign indicates this. There are cycle lanes with pedestrian priority, traffic lights with priority for bicycles, and more secure stands to prevent bicycle theft.
There is also a bike-sharing scheme called SeVici, a bike-bus service, and pedestrian and limited traffic zones. The University of Seville also runs a folding bicycle lending service, with a "fleet" of more than 400 bikes. Intermodality has thus been enhanced through Seville's metropolitan rail network.
The Andalusia cycling mobility investment plan for 2014 to 2020 allocates as much as 420 million euros, and also includes plans to create cycle routes connecting the city with neighbouring municipalities.
These policies enabled Seville to rank fourth in the 2013 Copenhagenize index, transforming it into the cycling capital of southern Europe, and it remained among the top ten cities in the 2014 ranking. 2013 was also the year in which more bicycles than cars were sold in Spain.
Seville's project is proving to be a success, as it is also persuading other cities in the Andalusia region to adopt similar approaches. A useful stimulus for the whole of southern Europe, Italy included.
