It’s becoming increasingly common in Valencia to see a scene that unmistakably signals you’re approaching the city’s historic center: a swarm of rental bikes or Valenbisis occupying the bike lane and, in many cases, also the sidewalk or the road in the opposite direction.
To alleviate this situation, the Valencia City Council will limit tourist groups traveling through the city by bicycle or scooter to a maximum of ten people. Until now, the limit was fifteen participants, and when that number was exceeded, they had to split into subgroups and maintain a minimum distance of 50 meters between each other.
This new restriction will be introduced alongside an awareness campaign on responsible cycling, with the aim of striking a sustainable balance between tourist traffic and the daily routines of Valencians. The initiative will include a set of ten best practices for urban users covering traffic guidelines, safety, and responsibility.
The announcement of this new measure was conveyed directly to the Federation of Neighborhood Associations (FAAVV) at the Leisure and Tourism Roundtable. During the discussion, the FAAVV highlighted residents’ complaints about the “excessive proliferation” of restaurant and bar patios in areas such as Ciutat Vella, El Cabanyal, and El Palmar.
Neighborhood representatives also complained about noise pollution in areas near nightclubs, concert venues, and festivals, as well as the “poor service” of EMT buses, and once again called for Valencia to be designated a high-demand area in order to cap rental prices.
