The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) is an official provider of the 77th edition of La Vuelta. Fromthe very first stage and throughout the 3,000 kilometres of roads covered in this edition, it will showcase its work in fundamental projects for the country’s territories.
Mitma works on multiple projects promoting cycling mobility through the National Cycling Strategy approved in 2021. Someof these will be discovered as La Vuelta progresses. We will also see the actions being carried out in the National Road Network, and discover several programmes aiming to restore and recover architectural heritage in both urban and rural areas.
National Cycling Strategy
This strategy, approved in 2021, seeks to exploit the value bicycles can offer us, both in sports and in our day-to-daymobility, for work or leisure purposes. It also seeks to help the Spanish productive sector to increase its economic potential. The use of bicycles, whether as a mode of transport or as a tourism, leisure or sports option, is becoming increasinglywidespread. This activity is no longer seen as a passing trend, and cyclists are no longer viewed as peculiar elements on public roads.
That said, in order to increase the use of bicycles and create a cultural shift towards sustainable mobility, a project involvingextensive broadcasting, outreach and training is absolutely essential, as are actions regarding infrastructure, urban planning and touristic promotion, among others.
Actions on the National Road Network
The General Directorate of Roads is the unit in charge of managing the planning, the project, the construction, conservation and exploitation of the National Road Network, featuring a total length of 26,477 km.
This edition of La Vuelta will feature such outstanding roads as that of the La Hermida Gorge in Cantabria, the bike lanealong the EL-20 Elche Southern Bypass and the connection with Alicante’s CV-86, in order to protect the fauna found alongMontoro’s N-420 in Córdoba.
Cycling infrastructure projects will also be seen in several stages, such as the investments that have been made into bike lanes and public bicycle systems in Madrid, for which European funds assigned to the Spanish Government’s Restoration, Transformation and Resilience Plan have been used.
Architectural Rehabilitation Programmes and 1.5% Culture Programmes.
The Ministry contributes to the rehabilitation, restoration and recovery of architectural heritage through the scheduling, evaluation, management, and development of projects and actions in buildings, architectural complexes, urban or rural spaces, as well as the creation, improvement or maintenance of equipment, funds or services that are of public interest or use.
The Spanish Historical Heritage Law establishes the obligation to allocate at least 1% of public building contracts to the preservation or enrichment of Spanish Historical Heritage or to the development of artistic creativity, with a preference for the building itself or its immediate surroundings. In order to promote the preservation and enrichment of Historical Heritage, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has increased this percentage to 1.5%.
Some such projects will be showcased during several stages of La Vuelta, including the remodelling of the chapter housesand the recovery of the San Felipe Castle wall in the Santander Cathedral, the remodelling of the Benalúa train station in Alicante, the restoration of the Viscount of Los Villares Palace in Jaén, that of the Talavera de la Reina City Walls in Toledo and the renovations that have been carried out in the Infante Don Luís Palace in Madrid.
