Mechanical ramps support sustainable trips in San Sebastian
In May 2011, the City of San Sebastián opened one of its most ambitious vertical transport installations yet. In the hilly city of San Sebastián, walking and cycling can be a burden because of the many steep slopes. The new vertical transport installation at Lizardi Street consists of one escalator and five mechanical ramps. It provides the inhabitants of the Intxaurrondo district with a much more comfortable option to reach their houses on foot or by bicycle.
The entire vertical transport installation spans a length of 243.50 metres covering a 33 metre height difference. The average incline of the slope is 13%. By breaking the installation up into one escalator and five mechanical ramps the users have the possibility to get on and off at different levels of Lizardi street. The lower end of the vertical transport installation connects to the recently opened train station and to a stop of the high quality bus corridor. In the near future, a new metro station will be opened at the high end of the installation. This means that the installation will start serving as a transfer option between metro, bus and train. The Lizardi installation forms part of a larger Vertical Transport Strategy, connecting the residential quarters in the hilly areas of the city to the services and public transport corridors in the lower central parts. The strategy aims to facilitate walking and cycling by creating comfortable routes from the hilly areas towards the city centre.
