Cars banned from Madrid streets in trial run for pedestrianised city

RECENT visitors to Madrid could be forgiven for thinking they had stepped back in time.

For nine days, all cars were banished from the city centre in a trial run to pedestrianise the capital.

The ban covered the city’s old town, including the usually car-laden Gran Via, to give residents a taste of what a pedestrianised Madrid would be like.

Buses and taxis were still permitted access during the trial, which has now drawn to a close.

A spokesman for the city council labelled the campaign as ‘one of the boldest anti-car plans seen in Europe’.

“The otherwise blanket ban in the throbbing, vehicle-packed heart of a major metropolis is one of the boldest anti-car plans seen in Europe so far,” he said.

“It’s not just that the holiday shopping season is in full swing in Spain’s busiest commercial district, making the place a whole lot more manageable for shoppers on foot.

“The temporary ban is likely to make the whole area… well, just nicer.”