Girona's old town removed from Google Maps and Waze traffic routes

Girona's Old Quarter is car-free—at least, that's the city council's goal.

Local authorities have repeatedly requested traffic apps like Google Maps and Waze to avoid proposing GPS routes that cross the city center.

Traffic apps now offer different routes to avoid the Old Quarter, which mainly affect tourists who are unaware of their surroundings, as opposed to locals.

The city council got in contact with Google and Waze to request them to prioritize alternative routes that do not cross the city center as it restricted traffic. 

"The Old Quarter is a pedestrian area," mayor Lluc Salellas said in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The restriction has been in place for years, and vehicles need authorization to access the area, such as a residential permit or a permit for business owners. The speed limit is 20 km/h. Those who do not have a license are allowed to enter three times per quarter without any reason, however, if they keep crossing the city center they are automatically fined.

Girona's Barri Vell is one of the city's main tourist hotspots.

"We were able to ask Google and Waze to clearly mark that the Old Quarter is an area with restricted access, and therefore to limit the number of tourist vehicles sent to cross the area," Salellas told ACN.

Contact with Google started back in January, and it has been a long process as "speaking with these traffic apps and large companies is not as easy as speaking with a neighbor from the Carme Street, for example," he said.

Barcelona's 116 bus

In April 2024, the Barcelona city council requested Google Maps to remove a bus route from its services to avoid tourists taking the public transport option. 

The bus in question is the 116 bus line stopping in front of the Park Güell monument. Known as a 'bus del barri', the small bus was only intended to be used within the La Salut neighborhood, with a capacity of 20-25 people.

Due to tourists taking the bus, which stops in front of the iconic park, residents weren't able to take the bus themselves.  

Elderly people had been especially affected by this, as the bus is the way they can easily move around the neighborhood.

Tourists made it almost impossible for them to use the public transport provided.