Kidical Mass fills Barcelona streets with bikes to promote child cycling

Around 1,500 cyclists (according to local police) filled the streets of Barcelona's Sant Andreu neighborhood on Sunday, advocating for children's right to use bikes for everyday travel.

It was Barcelona's fourth edition of Kidical Mass, part of a global movement promoting child-friendly cycling, with this year's focus once again on road safety.

Marta Casar, board member of the Catalonia Bicycle Club (BACC), co-organiser of the event, stressed their aim is to make it "as normal for children to cycle to school as it is for them to walk." 

Casar said it was necessary to "limit" the space occupied by motorized vehicles in the city and ensure that "cycling infrastructure is segregated and protected" from cars.

This year's edition of the bike ride covered six kilometers and traveled along arterial roads in the Catalan capital such as Avinguda Meridiana.

Casar said that this road specifically "is not very pleasant" to use for cyclists, adding that cycle lane safety must be improved.

Carlos Solana, a resident of Sant Andreu who participates in the Sant Andreu-Congrés Bicibus on Fridays, complained that "every time the local police don't come, there are problems."

"The cars beep, motorbikes overtake and get in the way. They don’t understand that there are 4, 5 and 6 year olds," he said.

"A lot of education and teaching is needed to reach a balance between everyone," Solana added.

Kidical Mass is a global movement that began in Oregon (US) in 2008, advocating for every child's right to travel safely by bicycle.