Ejercicio Opció A - 3 · Inglés PAU Baleares Extraordinaria 2024

The bicibús: How Barcelona got kids cycling safely to school—and loving it!

On a cool September morning, a group of about 60 parents and children aged 3 to 11, on bikes and scooters, gather in the Plaça Conxita Pérez—Barcelona’s Eixample district—for the school run. Today is Friday and the atmosphere is especially festive. Dua Lipa’s song “Dance the Night” is playing and there’s an air of excitement as though the kids were going on an excursion, not just to school. They are waiting for the bicibús (‘bike bus’), a fun, safe mode of transport that makes going to school feel like a party. It leaves Monday to Friday at 8.30am sharp outside the Sant Antoni market and is no ordinary vehicle. It has hundreds of wheels and dozens of drivers but no passengers.

“When we started out two years ago there were 20-30 people, now there are 60-70”, says Genís Domínguez, one of the organisers. The concept has been around since the 1990s, he explains, but locally, it began three years ago in the Catalan town of Vic. They had to adapt the idea for it to work in that particular neighbourhood since Eixample´s district has a high volume of fast-moving traffic and the only way to move safely is to occupy the entire road, therefore the bicibús is treated as a single vehicle.

One or two adults lead the group, with two or three others on each side. A police patrol car is at the rear to ward off any impatient motorists. At each crossing the adult riders on the flanks block the traffic to let any stragglers cross and to stop any of them jumping the lights. Besides the police car, the entire operation is run by parents via a WhatsApp group. It’s lively but surprisingly orderly and there’s little or no conflict with motorists. Taking part in this activity is clearly a high point in the children’s day too. “What I like best is chatting to my friends while we’re on our bikes”, says Alex Hurtado, 9. “For me the best thing is we can put on music and we get to choose which songs we want”, adds Rita Camprubí, 7.

There are now about 15 bicibús routes in the city, operating two or three days a week. The Sant Antoni route is especially popular because most of the children must cross one six-lane and two four-lane streets to get to school. The Barcelona BiciBus Network estimates that around 15,000 bicibús journeys were made during the previous school year. The scheme is now attracting attention and imitators in Spain and beyond. Boix says they have had inquiries and visitors from France, Italy, the UK, and Germany.

“It’s an easy model to replicate elsewhere”, she says. “In a neighbourhood such as the Eixample, it’s often difficult to feel integrated”, says Rosa Suriñach, a social policy adviser. She adds, “The bicibús helps to create a sense of belonging” and provides protection for cycling children.

Adapted from The Guardian, October 2023

3. Find in the text words or phrases which mean the same as the ones below. In the case of verbs, ONLY infinitive forms will be accepted (1 point):

1)

The act of asking for information or the process of asking a question. (0,25)

2)

Exactly at the stated time. (0,25)

3)

A person or animal that is a bit behind the main group. (0,25)

4)

To make or do something again in exactly the same way. (0,25)