The footpath between Laida and Kanala has amassed 40,000 pedestrians in its first months of monitoring

03/03/2026

The meter installed in July 2025 within the framework of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project has confirmed the intensive use of the path and provides key data to assess its contribution to sustainable mobility in Urdaibai. 

The footpath between Laida beach and the Kanala neighbourhood in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, has been used 40,208 times between 21 July and 31 December 2025, according to the data collected by the pedestrian counting installed last summer within the framework of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project. 

The device, located at a strategic point on the path between Laida and Kanala in the municipality of Ibarrangelu, enables active mobility flows to be objectively quantified and the impact of this infrastructure on reducing the use of private vehicles to be analysed. 

During the period studied, the daily average was 247 pedestrians. The analysis reveals a clear seasonal pattern, with higher values during the summer months and a progressive decline in autumn and winter. 

In terms of weekly distribution, there is a significant difference between weekdays and weekends: 

• an average of 180 pedestrians per day on weekdays. 
• an average of 416 pedestrians per day at weekends. 

Sunday 3 August, was the day with the highest number of pedestrians, reaching 1,398. 

Analysis of the times the path was used shows two well-defined peaks: around 12 Noon and 6pm at weekends, and slightly longer time slots (11am - 1pm and 5pm - 7pm) on weekdays. 

Active mobility and climate change mitigation 

Beyond the quantitative data, these results boost the assessment of the contribution of infrastructure to climate change mitigation. Each trip on foot potentially represents a journey that is not made by motor vehicle, thus avoiding greenhouse gas emissions associated with transport. 

The permanent monitoring of the path reinforces the evidence-based approach promoted by the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, consolidating active mobility as a strategic tool to reduce emissions, organise visitor flows and increase accessibility in an area of high environmental sensitivity, such as Urdaibai.