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New Spanish law to "protect" cyclists proposes drivers must slow 20km/h below speed limit before overtaking bike riders

Authorities introduce raft of road safety proposals, with safe speeds and distances highlighted when overtaking cyclists

Drivers in Spain will be required to adhere to new rules around cyclists, the roads authorities introducing several laws to better protect bike riders on Spanish roads.

The changes for 2025, proposed by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), were reported by Majorca Daily Bulletin and will no doubt be of interest to British riders heading for future winter training on the island or Spain's mainland. 

Perhaps the most striking addition is that motorists will be required to reduce their speed to 20km/h (12mph) below the speed limit when overtaking a cyclist. For example, on a 90km/h road a driver would need to slow to 70km/h to overtake. 

> Mayor fined €100 for riding on street where cycling is banned by the council, while shooting 'cycle to work' video to encourage cycling in Barcelona

The DGT had stated that this is because "the speed difference between the two is already large, so the protection of the weaker forces the speed to be reduced and not increased".

Cyclist in Zaragoza (image by srgpicker on Flickr, licensed via CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)

There will be no change to the existing requirement for drivers give cyclists at least 1.5m of space when overtaking. The changes follow on from a 2022 update to the Traffic and Road Safety Law. Failing to give the 1.5m overtaking gap is punishable with a 200-euro fine and up to six penalty points, although the DGT has not said it it is considering increasing the penalties. In urban areas, drivers will be required to keep at least five metres behind cyclists.

The other changes apply to cyclists who will be required to wear reflective or luminous accessories in low-visibility conditions to enable them to be seen from at least 150 metres away. Helmet-wearing is also to be made mandatory for all cyclists in all situations, although this is only a slight tightening from the previous law and removes certain exceptions that previously stood.

> "Pure bile and prejudice": Cyclists slam local government's proposal to introduce "mandatory bike insurance" and urging cyclists to "encourage overtaking" in Spanish city

In urban areas, cyclists will now be allowed to filter and overtake on either side of vehicles and can ride against the direction of traffic on single-lane one-way streets if the speed limit is 30km/h or less.

The changes to the law come to the context of there having been 90 cyclist deaths in Spain in 2023, a figure that had increased on 2022's number. The DGT hopes the new measures will improve road safety and better protect cyclists, the authority urging coexistance and mutual respect.

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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36 comments

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himmelsturmer | 3 days ago
3 likes

Who thought up this cunning plan El Baldric  in those areas where the speed limit is 30kph motorists must slow down to 10 kph before overtaking a cyclist probably travelling at around a modest 15kph

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panda | 3 days ago
7 likes

Without wishing to curb anyone's enthusiasm, the MDB is fairly Daily Mail-esque in its sensational reporting of proposed laws which might make its readers angry so I'd take this with a pinch of salt.  See also: any proposals making life more difficult for UK ex-pats.  Very few of these proposals ever go anywhere but guaranteed a headline.   

We have a place in Mallorca in a small town away from the coast.  Cyclists are tolerated and generally afforded more respect than here, but the swarms of warm-weather seekers in April/May are very unpopular.  A law proposing a ban on groups larger than 4 descending on the local bar, shouting loudly at each other and barking orders at the staff in English (which, oddly, the Germans do more than the Brits) and immediate imprisonment without trial for anyone leaving their Garmin beeping for attention every few minutes for the duration of their stop would meet very little resistance.  

Say what you like about the Magalluf (Brit) / Arenal (German) breed of tourist, they stay in hotels and don't venture outside the resort other than trips to hospital / police station so are weirdly welcome.  

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HLaB replied to panda | 2 days ago
0 likes

I made the mistake of starting to read the MDB comments and quickly gathered it was a Daily Mail type of publication  2

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don simon fbpe replied to HLaB | 2 days ago
0 likes

Aren't immigrants supposed to respect the law of the land that they settle in?

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anke2 | 4 days ago
6 likes

I love the 20km/h below the limit rule - in particular in towns and cities, where this will often mean that overtaking a cyclist (riding at 30km/h or more) is forbideen: With the large number of traffic lights, stop signs and turns in such places, there is no point in overtaking such a cyclist.

(However, the behaviour towards cyclists is usually fine on the continent in any case - a rider wearing lycra on a roadbike is seen as "keen" and "fast enough" to be worth a little wait before a safe pass is possible.)

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kingleo | 4 days ago
6 likes

I've done a lot of touring in Spain, and the motorists are very careful when they overtake me, sometimes it's embarrassing, there is plenty of room for them to get by but they trundle behind me at about 15mph.

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Psi163 replied to kingleo | 4 days ago
6 likes

I wholeheartedly agree. I have cycled in many countries and find the Spanish to be the most considerate to cyclists of anywhere I have been.

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Dnnnnnn replied to Psi163 | 3 days ago
4 likes

+1

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bensynnock replied to kingleo | 3 days ago
1 like

You could pedal at least.

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chrisonabike replied to bensynnock | 3 days ago
0 likes
bensynnock wrote:

You could pedal at least.

It's Europe - should be an EAPC so pedalling required? 😉

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wtjs | 4 days ago
2 likes

My expectation, admittedly based only on experience of UK police, is that the laws affecting drivers won't be enforced, and that the function of the helmet and HiViz laws is simply to blame cyclist victims who weren't wearing them. In practice, we already have all of that here without any 'laws'

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JEMVisser | 4 days ago
1 like

A cyclist going at 30kph, which is not uncommon, will now never be overtaken on a 50kph road. Nice traffic jam🤣

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I love my bike replied to JEMVisser | 4 days ago
2 likes

If/when there's a queue of traffic behind, they'll pull over (coexistance and mutual respect).

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GMBasix replied to JEMVisser | 3 days ago
7 likes

JEMVisser wrote:

A cyclist going at 30kph, which is not uncommon, will now never be overtaken on a 50kph road. Nice traffic jam🤣

Driving at 20mph in a 30mph limit is not a traffic jam.

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don simon fbpe | 4 days ago
6 likes

But they still have the wanky helmet laws, no one is perfect.

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cdamian replied to don simon fbpe | 4 days ago
0 likes

Wanky helmet laws?

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don simon fbpe replied to cdamian | 4 days ago
4 likes

Yes, wanky helmet laws.

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chrisonabike replied to don simon fbpe | 4 days ago
3 likes

Mix of good and not so there.  Overtaking stuff all sounds sensible (if people remember...), not sure on the compulsory PPE.

Have they done an analysis at population level to gauge whether this won't result in lower population health overall (e.g. by dissuading cycling)?  Is cycling so safe there that they will be able to tell that it makes a difference? (In the UK this would probably be lost in a haystack of severe injuries and deaths due to driver-cyclist crashes, where it is less likely and harder to tell what if any benefit a helmet might have had).  Do they in fact have the data collection processes in place to tell if this is helping, or is it just "stands to reason" or "we've done something"?

And the "enhancing visibility" thing?  I use and strongly recommend reflectives at night but I doubt mandating these helps.  It's another "barrier to cycling" (see helmet) - having to dress for the journey not destination.  And more visual noise to filter.  Plus if their problem is drivers saying they didn't see a cyclist they've got other issues. (e.g. poor infra which is unclear, or insufficiently protective.  Perhaps driver training issues also.  Combining that with probably few cyclists and drivers are not looking for cyclists or perhaps plain not looking).

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don simon fbpe replied to chrisonabike | 4 days ago
3 likes

It's the attitude of drivers that generally makes Spain a more pleasant place to ride. Spain also has a history of interestingly interpreted (or badly written) laws. I'm sure whoever thought about the cycling rules knew what they wanted to say.

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chrisonabike replied to don simon fbpe | 4 days ago
0 likes
don simon fbpe wrote:

It's the attitude of drivers that generally makes Spain a more pleasant place to ride.

Do you know how this came to be so / why it persists? Clearly varies greatly between places.

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don simon fbpe replied to chrisonabike | 4 days ago
3 likes

I guess the Spanish are friendlier and/or less selfish. Many of the problem drivers I encountered were more thoughtless than aggressive, they were quite apologetic when spoken to as in they weren't aware of the feeling of danger a close pass might generate. I think things are changing and different areas have different problems and attitudes. I can't speak for other cities, but I describe the fast and furious driving in Madrid as people driving quickly but not because they're in a rush.

As a rule, I wouldn't ride on open roads on a Saturday afternoon though.

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chrisonabike replied to don simon fbpe | 3 days ago
2 likes

Thanks!

I'm always a bit perplexed when folks say "the people in (place) are really friendly".  Not that there aren't differences you might perceive but - aside from immigration officials or police * - most people seem reasonable in a one-to-one.  (I've not spent a lot of time in London, though...)

The tricky bit seems to be when there's a barrier to more human interaction e.g. time or bandwidth / channels of communication are limited, or there are major rank/hierarchy differences.  Unfortunately all of those normally apply in driver - cyclist interactions!

Many people in the UK drive in a careful and conscientious manner, but those that are careless can spoil your day, and those tiny few with attitude might remain in your memory for a long time.

It seems it may be possible to influence drivers a little so that there is less thoughtless and careless driving (though "humans" will always be a factor).  Don't know about changing the proportion of arseholes - they seem to crop up to a certain degree everywhere.

* Police can also be friendly folks, but (in my very limited experience) the role sets you up to be ready for conflict / suspicious.  With US police in particular it was almost dealing with two personalities - before they realised I was unarmed and in fact an unthreatening Limey, and after, when they were very helpful.  (Note: if stopped for some minor traffic violation don't get out of your vehicle and wander over to the police car to find out what they want...)

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林伊德 replied to chrisonabike | 3 days ago
4 likes

Come and try cycling, or indeed just walking, around Taipei and you'll soon understand what people mean by saying "folk in (place) are really (adjective)". The Taiwanese have a deserved reputation for being super-friendly face to face but turning into abject road hogs the second they get behind a wheel. It may be a function of the extremely poor driver education and the supine attitude of law enforcement and legislators. Taiwan is road hell for anyone not in a motor vehicle.

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chrisonabike replied to 林伊德 | 3 days ago
0 likes

Thanks for the recommendation! Not sure I'll ever get there; I did spend some time relatively near (not very) in South Korea and that statement would apply there also, indeed "folk in (place) are extremely (adjective)".

I didn't do any cycling though. Some time back but if there are similar numbers of transport motorbikes I probably wouldn't cycle now either! (I'd go back for waking in the mountains, any time - well, ideally spring and autumn...)

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mattw replied to chrisonabike | 3 days ago
1 like

I characterise the USA is a Third World country with more money, and in many places there are very limited laws protecting the public from being killed by "law officers", and in some Stats AIUI laws preventing officers being held to account. Plus fragmentation is police forces, lack of training, corruption, crazed debates about red light cameras being a "Constitutional Violation" and all the rest.

Basically IMO it's the Wild West, and they idolise violence. That's one reason I have no desire to go there.

I question "Many people in the UK drive in a careful and conscientious manner"; I'll give you "some".

There are quite startling numbers around how much their road killings and their gun killings affect life expectancy; it is responsible for something like 2-3 years off life expectancy. But at just under 100k per annum killed using guns or motor vehicles, it should not be a surprise. The issue is amongst deaths of younger people; one stat is that one in 25 American five-year-olds today will not make it to their 40th birthday.

Commentary thread:
https://x.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1641799627128143873

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chrisonabike replied to mattw | 3 days ago
0 likes
mattw wrote:

I question "Many people in the UK drive in a careful and conscientious manner"; I'll give you "some".

Well, OK, many people in the UK drive in an adequate matter which in combination with the forgiving, driver-focussed road infra and lack of vulnerable road users on the roads means that KSIs are very low for the amount of driving compared to most other countries".

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panda replied to chrisonabike | 3 days ago
1 like

Like many things, it persists because it came to be so <shrugs>.

Based on getting to know new neighbours in Mallorca, there's an small element of road cycling being a mainstream spectator sport, a larger element of being something a beloved elderly relative used to do / still does on a Sunday and a healthy element of community / being friendly to people you don't know - even when behind the wheel of a car.

It does seem to be the English-speaking countries where being hostile to strangers is the norm on the roads.  No idea why.

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hawkinspeter replied to panda | 3 days ago
2 likes

panda wrote:

Like many things, it persists because it came to be so <shrugs>.

Based on getting to know new neighbours in Mallorca, there's an small element of road cycling being a mainstream spectator sport, a larger element of being something a beloved elderly relative used to do / still does on a Sunday and a healthy element of community / being friendly to people you don't know - even when behind the wheel of a car.

It does seem to be the English-speaking countries where being hostile to strangers is the norm on the roads.  No idea why.

England has got quite a history of being hostile to neighbours

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chrisonabike replied to panda | 3 days ago
0 likes

panda wrote:

Like many things, it persists because it came to be so <shrugs>.

A good answer, but that doesn't stop the question - how did it come to be so?  (Yes - "it got that way because that's what happened"...).

I'm less clear on "attitudes" but "what is mainstream" is perhaps "what is chosen and provided for".  In the case of mass motoring there is:

a) Evidence this was not just "what happened" (skipping philosophical points) but it was decided upon and strongly pushed by (some of) those in power.  (I'll take it as read that it was pushed by all means possible by the sellers of vehicles, fuel and roadbuilders)
and b) one clear example of a country changing direction (a little...) part-way through the process - the Netherlands.

Of course knowing that there are alternative paths doesn't mean we could get there from here!  On the other hand, there are examples where in fact this seems to be happening.  Even from further along the path to motor dominance.  Seville seems the clearest example, Paris perhaps, or maybe Freiberg?  I'm less clear on the routes to change that e.g. parts of Scandinavia have taken.

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mattw replied to chrisonabike | 3 days ago
1 like

That begs the question of culture change and how to make it happen. Which can be done, and has been done, in a number of places.

Clearly it's part enforcement (probability of being caught followed by probability of being punished) plus measures around both education (public information and training).

The prominent example here is perhaps drink driving, which was successfully demonised here over time, until perhaps the previous Conservtive Government came in.

What are attitudes to drink driving in different countries in Europe. It is far more accaptable in the USA than the UK, but I don't know about eg Spain.

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