Vic joins POLIS
As summer draws to an end, the days may be growing shorter, but the POLIS family is getting bigger! We are delighted to welcome the city of Vic to our network.
Vic is a medium-sized city, with almost 48,000 inhabitants, located 70 km north of Barcelona. It is home to The Universitat de Vic, a young University that is growing rapidly. It is also a popular tourist town, with a Neoclassical cathedral in its historic quarter.
Vic is pioneering a range of sustainable mobility strategies, from the expansion of public transport to active travel. The city’s strategy to consolidate itself as a benchmark has been based on a firm and decisive commitment to become a city tailored to human needs. It places the quality of life and the health of its inhabitants at the centre of every municipal policy and of the action plans that have been implemented in recent years, such as the Municipal Urban Master Plan, the SUMP, the Accessibility Plan, aim to create more active, safety, sustainable mobility.
A walking city - and much more
Since March 2021, Vic has been part of the Network of Walking Cities, a work network between municipalities in Spanish and Portugal promoting walking among its citizens. Indeed, its 'Pedestrian Islands' are part of this. The set of streets in which access is reserved for pedestrians and where they have priority has created a city centre where transport is built around its citizens.
Meanwhile, Vic's cycle plan which includes secure parking and repair locations has already boosted bike numbers.
At the same time, bus timetables and routes have been regularly modified to improve the service provided to citizens, and one of the most popular interurban bus lines is the e12 express line, which connects Vic with Barcelona.
Integrated ticketing has been rolled out to support this. Since September 2017, Vic's urban bus service has been part of the integrated fare system, allowing movement around the entire geographical area with the same ticket.
Flexible parking is also being pioneered. Faced with the challenge of improving the management of the city's loading and unloading areas Vic City Council has created a new parking regulation area dedicated to the urban distribution of goods and others (Z-DUMA).
These parking areas are regulated through the mobile application 'Parkunload ́, which allows you to obtain a virtual ticket that regulates the time of stay in each area depending on the type of accredited groups and specific area.
It looks as if Vic has a lot to share with POLIS members on sustainable mobility... stay tuned!
