Cycling in Spain - Some rules & regulations for Road Cycling:

[Bonus]

I've just posted this on our Big Adventure page, but I thought I'd start a separate thread too - where people can compare Spanish law and behaviour to SA law and behaviour . . . 

 

 

Cycling in Spain - Some rules & regulations for Road Cycling:

 

There is a page on Facebook called "N332" which has links and articles concerning the driving and cycling laws in Spain. The N332 is a coastal road in Spain which starts just north of Benidorm and ends just south of Alicante. (So nowhere near us! But the rules are the same) The description of the FB page starts with the paragraph:

 

We are a group of Spanish Traffic Police Officers who have decided to create this site to inform all expats and tourist who visit Spain about the Spanish Traffic Law. We think it is unfair to fine them for breaking rules they did not know it.

 

 

The use of words/language is sometimes "interesting", but it is readable :-) It seems the laws here take into account the needs of the cyclist AND the motorist. The roads in the area we live are very quiet and so riding two abreast is much easier and more acceptable than it is in busier parts of the country.

 

 

In Spain the law says that if you want to overtake a cyclist, you must leave 1.5 meters at least between you and the cyclist.

 

 

Overtaking cyclists when there is a solid white line . . .

 

Motor vehicles in Spain are allowed to cross a solid white center line in order to overtake cyclists. However there are some considerations to be made.

 

1) If the line is solid it is because overtaking anything can be dangerous. It is important for the motor driver to bare that in mind.

 

2) Use your common sense. You need to spend as little time as possible in the oncoming lane, because you are overtaking in a dangerous place (with a solid line).

 

Although it is QUICKER to overtake a group of cyclists when they are two abreast, it is SAFER to overtake cyclists riding single file. This is because if they are riding single file there is more room left remaining on the carriageway to allow you enough space between your vehicle and the cyclist, so your vehicle only needs to occupy a little part on the opposite lane.

 

For this reason, when cycling in a group along a road with a solid white line, cyclists MUST ride single file and if they are a large group they MUST form themselves into smaller groups - thus allowing motor vehicles to leap-frog the smaller groups one at a time. 

 

 

What happens when there is broken center line . . .

 

In this case, cyclists can ride two abreast, unless there is a lot of traffic approaching from the opposite direction. If that is the case then they will have to ride in a single file and in several groups , leaving enough space between them to let other vehicles overtake them one group at a time.

 

Many riders are riding two abreast on a busy road with a broken center line and they think they are doing well because it is broken line and other vehicles can overtake them. Wrong! because if you ride two abreast then vehicles wishing to overtake must slow down until the velocity of the cyclists which is very dangerous. This is a selfish behaviour, which is punished by law.

 

 

Nowadays it is difficult to ride two abreast on the busy Spanish roads unless you do it using the hard shoulder of the road. There are many vehicles on all roads, you all share the same space, unlike others, bicycles develop a lower velocity and riding two abreast only increases the risk of having an accident.

 

Please don´t risk your life :-)

[Bonus]

British police are starting to enforce the "pass with 1.5m" rule. I'm not sure if it's law in the UK or just a "rule of the road".

 

It is certainly law here in Spain and is adhered to by pretty much all the cars that pass us on the road.

 

http://www.itv.com/news/central/2016-09-16/police-target-drivers-who-do-not-give-bikes-enough-room/

[Bateleur1]

The 1,5 meter is law in Germany as well.

[Bonus]

One of the biggest annoyances of drivers in Spain is when other drivers fail to use their indicators. In Spain, failing to indicate is punishable by a 200 euro fine. 

 

It is important to remember that indicators are there in order to “indicate” our intentions, and therefore must be used before any manoeuvre takes place, remember your driving school days, Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre. Indicating after you have started to slow down of change direction does not give sufficient warning. Equally, it must be remembered that they don´t give us priority over other road users.

 

We must indicate whenever we intend to deviate from our course or direction. In other words, if we are going to turn or change lanes for example. On a roundabout we must signal our intention to leave the roundabout immediately after passing the exit before ours.

 

Pulling out from a parking spot or changing lanes can allow other drivers to assess if they are able to safely alter their course, although caution must still be exercised. 

 

Overtaking is one of the most dangerous manoeuvres we can do, especially when the move involves invading the opposing lane. It is important to indicate our intentions to warn other road users who might be considering doing the same thing, especially more vulnerable road users such as motorbikes.

 

Turning into or out of a minor road must always be indicated, whether left or right, in order to also advise other road users, including those we may not have seen, such as pedestrians and cyclists.

 

Remember though, always indicate first and always remember that indicating does not give us a right to move, or change our priority on the road, it simply indicates our intentions to other road users.