Tiny Christmas Tales. Part VIII. Spain

January 5–9, 2014

My awesome passport suitcase never fails to collect offline likes.

Barcelona

The Catalans want nothing more than to secede from Spain, and true patriots hang Catalan flags from their balconies to say as much.

Winter bike rentals.

A prehistoric type of underground waste container (for automated vacuum collection). The lid opens like a washing machine door.

Someone has done a very cute job of vandalizing all the traffic signs on the block.

Vigo

The city of Vigo is home to the most unusual traffic lights in the world. Pedestrians are allowed to cross absolutely anywhere on this long section of the street, which has illuminated bollards every few meters for that purpose. There are vehicle traffic lights at the beginning and end of the section, and traffic light bollards along the entire pedestrian crossing zone.

It’s easier to just show a video:

On top of that, the lights also have original pictograms. And even the sections’ shape is futuristic.

Walls that formerly had other buildings adjoining them are covered with bright rust for some reason.

The entire downtown area is resolutely and securely fenced off with plants. The flowerbeds are large enough that you can’t jump over them and into the street.

And here’s a brilliant solution for protecting intersections. If you set up granite flowerbeds on all four corners, pedestrians can only cross where they’re supposed to, and drivers can’t park on the corners.

Streets where parking is equally unwelcome are planted with trees along their entire length, leaving just one lane for traffic and a few parking pockets on the sides for those lucky enough to snag them. Everyone else is welcome to park underground.

An incredibly elegant way to incorporate a stair ramp. So much better than what you usually see in Russia: two rails at a breakneck angle.

Ourense

The city is one big suburb, but looks fairly nice.

It also has one of the first operating smart traffic lights. When a person walks past the light sensor, the pedestrian sign begins to flash. The only problem occurs when a person starts crossing from somewhere outside the two posts. The girls in the photo are obviously trying to take a shortcut. The solution is simple: put up a railing that extends five meters to the left and right of the crosswalk. Then everything will work like a charm. No need for a crosswalk button: you start walking and drivers are immediately alerted.