Bicycle lane in Pamplona

Fact sheet

Project: CBP - Carril Bici Pamplona (Pamplona Bicycle Lane). Phase I: Vuelta del Castillo - Calle Fuente del Hierro. Contractor: Pamplona City Council. Department of Strategic Project and Works Authors of the Project: Municipal Technical Services. Department of Strategic Project and Works Architect: Ignacio Iribarren Berrade. Quantity surveyors: Rakel Arbizu Armañanzas, Raquel Pérez Villanueva. Preliminary plan: Allende Bañales, Corina Blanco and Amaia Urbistondo (PFC arquitectura) Builder: ARIAN. Quotation: €1,145,396.48 Planned start of work: November 2006. Period for the Execution of Work: 5 months.

Background

This project can be considered the materialisation of the prior working framework which defined objectives and their scope as based on three documents:

• City of Pamplona Mobility Pact.
• Municipal Urban Development Plan
• City of Pamplona “Bicycleability” Plan.

The Mobility Pact is a document promoted by this Council and developed and drafted with a basis on social participation. Its principles and objectives include

• Principle of Sustainability: this principle means assuming a set of strategies and measures designed to recuperate the quality of urban space, favouring those models of mobility which consume fewer natural resources and involve lower environmental cost, without ignoring balance between the economic viability of the model, its capacity for social integration and respect for the environment.
• Principle of Safety: The model must guarantee public road safety, particularly for more vulnerable users (pedestrians, cyclists).

The Municipal Plan establishes a municipal cycling network, taken as the starting point for the “Bicycleability” Plan. The “Bicycleability” Plan analyses the initial situation in light of the two previous actions and designs a proposal to optimise the network which can be cycled and a programme by which to implement it. Through recent urban development, the Municipal Plan began to create different stretches of the network in the city’s outer districts, leaving action to be taken in the consolidated inner areas of the city.

The “Bicycleability” Plan determines that the creation of the network in the city centre should begin with those sections which will prove most useful to the greatest number of users and then spread to areas of lower demand. This first phase is going to be the city’s first taste of the Plan and is, without doubt, set to significantly influence the residents of Pamplona regarding subsequent stages.

Preliminary plan: Collaboration agreement with the School of Architecture

Three routes considered priority routes to inaugurate the network have been worked on in collaboration with the University of Navarre"s School of Architecture"s Department of Urban Development:

• 1. Vuelta del Castillo - Fuente del Hierro (Pilgrims’ Road to Santiago) to the University of Navarre.
• 2. Plaza de los Fueros- Calle Abejeras- University of Navarre.
• 3. Plaza de los Fueros- Calle Gayarre- Public University of Navarre.

The job of the architecture students Allende Bañales, Corina Blanco and Amaia Urbistondo, in continuous collaboration with those in charge of implementing the plan, was to define and optimise the positions of the sections of the new bicycle lane, following extensive field work in order to identify different obstacles on the path (car parks, openings, trees, urban furniture, rubbish bins, etc.).

Architectural Project - First phase

The objective of this first phase focuses on the trajectory from the Vuelta del Castillo-Avenida del Ejército crossroads, opposite Edificio Singular, to the Plaza de los Fueros and the one from Vuelta del Castillo along Fuente del Hierro to the University of Navarre.

These trajectories were chosen because they form part of the basic yellow ring of the network and because they include a significant cultural route, the Pilgrims’ Road to Santiago. The creation of these routes meets the initial objectives of covering one of the areas with most demand, the university, creating the basis for Pamplona’s “bicycleable” network and offering an attractive image of the bicycle as a realistic means of transport.

This action shall find continuity in the execution of the stage which will connect the universities and a further stage to provide a safe, interconnected network between main districts, facilities and centres of employment in order to create significant demand for the bicycle as a means of transport.

Description of the action

The proposed solution varies in terms of section, adapting itself to what is already there and the peculiarities of each stretch. In each case, the route to be followed has been studied in detail, keeping in mind at all times the safety of bicycle-lane users and the risk posed by automobiles, solving those points at which they meet pedestrians and pedestrians/automobiles.

Another factor defining both the route, in some cases, and the building solutions to be applied is the presence of large trees in consolidated areas. Both on Vuelta del Castillo and Calle Fuente del Hierro, work is to be performed near to tree root systems, meaning solutions had to be found which do not harm these and actually improve the conditions of moisture and ventilation insofar as possible.

The trajectory on Vuelta de Castillo consists of three distinct areas: the stretch running parallel to Avenida de Pio XII, the stretch Vuelta de Castillo between Pio XII and Calle Esquiroz, and the final stretch until it meets the Plaza de los Fueros.

The stretch parallel to Avenida de Pio XII has a section consisting of kerb made of Calatorao stone, 40-cm. slabs, 90-cm. tree pits and 2.3-cm. gravel pavement to the green area. On this stretch, it was thought that a strip should be kept for pedestrians due to the number of people who use the area. The solution is to keep the kerb and raise the existing strip of pavement. A cobbled strip of Calatorao stone is placed on sand to a width of 1.20 m, together with a 1-m. pedestrian crossing made of sandstone, like the other paths in the Citadel, a strip of 25-cm. Calatorao flagstone separating a 1.6-m. bicycle lane kerbed with a strip of 20-cm. wide, rustic-finish Calatorao stone.

At the crossroads with Vuelta del Castillo, the lane disappears and merges with the existing pedestrian traffic. At this point, there are simply ground markings indicating the lane and the pedestrian crossings are adapted.

On the second stretch, the section consists of kerb made of Calatorao stone, 90-cm. tree pits and 1.5-m. gravel-slab pavement. On this stretch, the pedestrian traffic is not heavy and so the lane runs near to the perimeter. Improvements are made to the pedestrian crossings between the existing interior paths and the lowered gaps, which are also adapted due to the disappearance of the perimeter paving. The proposed section maintains the existing kerb and bollards, leaving a strip of between 1 and 1.2 m. for existing trees, which are either protected with rustic cobbles or replaced with green areas, depending on each case. The bicycle lane is 1.8-m. wide and is kerbed with a strip of 20-cm., rustic-finish, Calatorao stone.

On the third part between Calle Esquiroz and the Plaza de los Fueros, there is a small perimeter surface with double kerbing made of Calatorao-stone to the road and concrete to the green area. The green area has three alignments of trees, two on the sides and one in the middle.

Given that there are large trees on the perimeter in this area, there is not enough room for the bicycle lane and so it was decided that it should run in between this alignment and the central alignment, meaning that special care has to be taken at hazardous points of transit between trees. The solution is a 1.8-m. lane kerbed on both sides with strips of rustic-finish, Calatorao slabs.

The route along Calle Fuente del Hierro varies according to built-up areas and also has three distinct zones.

The first block between Vuelta del Castillo and Avenida de Sancho el Fuerte consists of a section of pavement kerbed with Calatorao stone and slabs to a total width of 5.1 m. Cars park parallel to the kerb all along its length. It joins up with the Vuelta del Castillo section via the pedestrian crossing near to the path to the Puerta de Socorro. On this first block, the route claims part of the road, widening the pavement. The road remains wide enough to maintain parking parallel to the kerb. As it turns into Calle Fuente del Hierro, the lane borrows a width of 1.5 m. from the pavement, leaving a 50-cm. strip kerbed with Calatorao flagstone.

The block between Sancho el Fuerte - Serafín Olave, Serafín Olave - Iturrama, Iturrama - Pedro I has a section of kerb made of Calatorao stone, slabs, 0.90-m. tree pits and terrazzo pavement to green parterres or buildings. On this second stretch, the solution always works from the line of trees. The strip of trees is paved with flamed-finish 15.15.10 and pointed with sand to improve ventilation and moisture conditions for the tree roots, a strip of 25-cm. Calatorao flagstone with water collection points, a 1.8-m. lane and a 50-cm. protection and signal location strip in Calatorao flagstone and kerb to the road. In those areas where cars park perpendicular to the kerb, they shall now park parallel to it. The pedestrian crossings are adapted and protected on the parking line.

The third stretch runs between Pedro I and the access point to the University of Navarre campus. The first part is of concrete and cars park perpendicular to a kerb with railing protection and the second part runs parallel to the road with a green strip between the kerb and the path. In the first area, the edge of the pavement is redefined and the lane is located so that it runs parallel to the existing path. On the next stretch, the path is maintained and separated with a strip of 25-cm Calatorao stone from a 1.8-m.-wide lane, 50-cm. protection strip and kerb to the gutter. The lane ends where the kerb and the path begin to have such a difference in height that it is no longer necessary to perform retaining work. At this final point beneath the bridge adjoining the University campus, it must merge in with pedestrian traffic.

The points at which the lane crosses perpendicular roads all run parallel to pedestrian crossings in order to enhance cyclist safety and interfere as little as possible with road traffic.

The bicycle lane has a semi-polished, coloured-concrete surface. The foundations differ depending on the presence of trees. Areas free of trees use conventional surfaces with gravel and a layer of sand. In areas affected by tree roots, the surface is ventilated with Cupolex formwork, of differing thicknesses depending on each case, and has a coloured, semi-polished surface finish.

This action is to be completed with the introduction of urban furniture to park bicycles.