Pablo Arranz
The mayor, Inés Rey, reported today on the progress being made in the new phase of expansion of the municipal service BiciCoruña, which is in its initial stages with preliminary work on seven more bases that will be progressively incorporated into the service.
As of today, BiciCoruña has 49 enabled stations. Rey recalled that, as previously stated, the Council’s goal is to increase this number to a total of 85, addressing the specific needs of neighborhoods and also the mobility flows of users, which also requires intervening or expanding existing bases with high demand.
In this sense, the technical staff of the Department of Infrastructure and Mobility, accompanied by the electricity distribution company, has specified in recent weeks the specific locations of these seven new bases, "a key step because the choice of their location takes into account various factors such as the presence or absence of electrical supply, whether it is necessary to carry out works or, on the contrary, if they can be avoided, and, of course, if the base can be as close as possible to a bike lane route, to facilitate the access, exit, and anchoring of vehicles," reasoned councilor Noemí Díaz.
In this regard, civil works have already been completed at three of these seven new bases: the one located at the intersection between Nova Street and San Andrés; the one that will serve Lonzas, between the Railway Avenue and Alcalde López Menéndez Square; and the one planned on Ribeira Sacra Street, in Novo Mesoiro, which will become the second available base in the neighborhood. "By completing the work, we facilitate UFD to carry out the electrical connection subsequently," said the councilor.
In parallel, work is progressing on the channeling at another base on Novo Mesoiro Avenue and at the one that will be located in Concordia Square, in the Castrillón neighborhood.
Furthermore, interventions are about to begin at the second base that will be enabled in Barrio das Flores (next to the municipal sports center) and in Rosales, which will have a new station near the Municipal Employment Center, on Fortes Road.
The objective, as pointed out by Noemí Díaz, is for the electrical connection interventions – prior to the installation of the bases on the street and their activation – to be finalized throughout the month of May, "to enable more BiciCoruña stations in the coming weeks."
BiciCoruña will incorporate 300 new electric bicycles in the coming weeks
Inés Rey recalled today that, as reported in mid-April, the Council will take advantage of this new phase of BiciCoruña expansion to increase the available fleet of vehicles, adding another 300 electric bicycles, necessary to meet the existing demand.
Furthermore, the mayor emphasized that the planned expansion will gradually reach neighborhoods such as Xuxán, Palavea, or Visma, which will thus have their first service bases.
The service updates its rules of use to reinforce road safety
In addition, the EMVSA council approved an update of its rules of use, adapting them with the aim of improving the service’s performance and taking into account the experience gained since the service was renewed almost three years ago.
With 1.3 million uses registered just last year, a record for the service, "it is necessary to update the existing rules, specifying more fundamental aspects such as the care of the vehicles by the users and also what are their obligations and responsibilities when moving around Coruña, because bicycles, like cars and buses, are part of the city’s mobility, where it is important to remember that pedestrians have priority," argued Noemí Díaz.
In this regard, the new regulations specify the steps to follow in case of theft, loss, or robbery of a BiciCoruña bicycle, also in accident situations. "And in the case of collisions with pedestrians, the user has the obligation to stop and call the Local Police," clarified the councilor.
Furthermore, the new BiciCoruña regulations specify the prohibition of riding on the sidewalk or pedestrian areas, of carrying the bike on any other means of transportation, of using mobile phones and/or headphones while riding the bike, and also of transporting other people, animals, or bulky objects that could damage the vehicle or affect people’s safety.
"To this is added the prohibition of obstructing the use of the bike by another user," warned Díaz, who emphasized the awareness work being carried out by the Council to prevent uncivil behaviors or actions that limit the use of the service.
In this regard, the sanction regime has also been updated.
