The traffic: an everlasting issue

In December 1970, Associació de Veïns i Comerciants of the Boquería Street celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. Taking advantage of this coincidence, Joan Frias, spokesperson for said entity, proposed the union of theirs with other similar neighborhood associations, in order to promote them jointly, which was the subject of debate within the Rambla Association.

As 1971 began, the journalist Andreu Avel·lí Artís and Tomàs, better known by his pseudonym Sempronio - who in 1972 would be appointed Official Chronicler of the city - lamented that "since 1960, there are always works being done on the Rambla, and the result is that it is always full of obstacles."

The intense circulation of vehicles that passed through the Rambla without stopping, and with little consideration for pedestrians who crossed to stroll or shop leisurely, hindered eating, according to a fairly widespread opinion. Joan Gaspart, vice president of the Association, and Miquel Pintó, a member of the board, believed that the ideal solution was to decongest the surroundings of the Rambla, thus avoiding it from being the obligatory thoroughfare to go to the lower part of the city.