While some places will go to any lengths to attract visitors, residents of La Salut neighbourhood in Barcelona are celebrating a move to wipe themselv

Barcelona bus route removed from map apps to tackle tourist overcrowding

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2024-04-16 12:30:16

While some places will go to any lengths to attract visitors, residents of La Salut neighbourhood in Barcelona are celebrating a move to wipe themselves off the map.

For years, residents had complained that they could not get home because the number 116 bus is always crammed with tourists visiting Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell. The park is the city’s second most popular attraction after the Sagrada Familia basilica.

“We laughed at the idea at first,” said César Sánchez, a local activist. “But we’re amazed that the measure has been so effective.”

Albert Battle, the head of security and coexistence on the city council, said that as well as improving mobility around Park Güell, “we needed to eliminate references to the 116 on the internet”.

Battle declined to admit or deny that the council had asked for the route to be removed, while a Google spokesperson would only say they would not delete a bus route unless requested to do so by the council.