ONE-WAY pavements – as opposed to streets – will become a feature of Christmas shopping in Madrid in an attempt to ease the flow of pedestrians and make the festive retail rush less stressful.
Mayoress Manuela Carmena has announced that some of the traffic-free streets leading off the main Puerta del Sol square will be exclusively for pedestrians walking in one direction, and others in the opposite direction, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays and the day before bank holidays from 17.30 onwards, starting December 1.
Police chief Teodoro Pérez explains that the C/ Preciados off the Puerta del Sol, where the huge El Corte Inglés department store is based, will be for people walking with their back to the square, whilst the C/ Carmen will be for people entering the square.
Metro stations in city-centre areas will also have stairways for entering and for leaving, kept separate.
The steps marked 'La Mallorquina' and 'RENFE' will be exit-only, and police will be on hand to divert and channel the traffic of people.
Madrid, following on from recent plans announced by Barcelona, will up security over the Christmas shopping season in light of the terrorist attacks in the latter in August.
Concrete plant pots, originally set up as a temporary measure, will remain in place at the entrances to the Plaza de Callao, the C/ Carmen, Plaza del Carmen and the C/ Arenal.
