Ecoclub Headlines™

In what is an innovative, perhaps surreal, approach reminiscent of the architectural style of Park Güell, a famous, privatized, UNESCO attraction designed by Antoni Gaudi, the very attraction visited by tourists boarding route 116, Barcelona authorities have asked Google to hide the bus route so that, allegedly, residents can have the bus to themselves. In theory, improved public transport infrastructure, especially to an urban UNESCO site, should be an ally of sustainable tourism, not a foe. Equally surreal or perhaps dystopian was additional pleading, to whom one wonders, by a deputy mayor to "eliminate all references to route 116 from the internet". (On the contrary, this is the way to make it famous!) Confusingly, a search for Park Güell in Google Maps still shows nearby bus stops for route 116. while the link to "Güell bus" in the official website now produces an "access denied" result. Fortunately, the official website clarifies that you can still reach the park by public transport as there are two metro stations a twenty minute walk away and two (other) bus lines H6 and D40 that also "favour sustainable mobility". In an unrelated development, Fujikawaguchiko, a Japanese resort town near, you guessed it, Fuji, may install a barrier to hide the mountain from instagrammers. Some seem to believe hiding is the way to sustainability, but others still favour transparency.