Residents Face Transport Barriers to Healthcare
The Plataforma en Defensa de la Sanitat Pública del Baix Vallès is urging the Generalitat and local councils to improve public transport links between municipalities and major healthcare facilities in the area. The group highlights inadequate access to services including the Hospital de Mollet, the CUAP del Baix Vallès in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, and the ASSIR centre in Mollet. Residents from Parets del Vallès, Martorelles, Sant Fost, La Llagosta, Montmeló, Montornès, Palau-solità i Plegamans, Polinyà and Lliçà de Vall face difficulties reaching medical appointments due to insufficient bus frequencies and poor coordination between routes.
Key Bus Routes Identified for Review
The platform specifically calls for enhanced service on line 345, which connects Parets del Vallès with Hospital de Mollet and Santa Perpètua, stressing the need for more reliable frequencies and better-timed schedules to support patient access. It also demands improved connections between Santa Perpètua and Mollet to ease travel to the CUAP, Hospital, and ASSIR facilities. Lines 360, 361, and 362, linking Sant Fost, Martorelles, Mollet and Sabadell, should be audited to assess whether their current routes, frequencies, and interchanges adequately serve healthcare access needs. Line 365, running between Santa Perpètua, Mollet and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, is proposed as a potential complement to existing services.
New Coordinated Plan Proposed
The group advocates for better integration of interurban bus lines serving Palau-solità, Plegamans, and Polinyà with Mollet and its hospital, making full use of existing operators. Beyond upgrading current services, the platform proposes creating a dedicated working group on public transport and healthcare in the Baix Vallès. This table would include representatives from the Generalitat, municipal councils, transport operators, health services, and citizen organisations to assess current links and implement improvements. The platform stresses that access to healthcare must be feasible by public transport, calling for stronger coordination with Rodalies commuter rail and local urban bus networks where current provision falls short.
Improving transport to health centres is essential for equity and sustainability. We need reliable, frequent, and coordinated services so people can reach care without relying on private vehicles.
Primary sources: catsalut.gencat.cat. Reported by sommollet.cat, plataformasalutpublica.blogspot.com, molletama.cat, eb.sabadell.cat, ddd.uab.cat, somMollet.
