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.
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”.
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.
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 coexistence and mutual respect.
37 thoughts on “New Spanish law to “protect” cyclists proposes drivers must slow 20km/h below speed limit before overtaking bike riders”
But they still have the wanky
But they still have the wanky helmet laws, no one is perfect.
Wanky helmet laws?
Wanky helmet laws?
Yes, wanky helmet laws.
Yes, wanky helmet laws.
Mix of good and not so there.
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).
It’s the attitude of drivers
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.
don simon fbpe wrote:
Do you know how this came to be so / why it persists? Clearly varies greatly between places.
I guess the Spanish are
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.
Thanks!
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…)
Come and try cycling, or
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.
Thanks for the recommendation
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…)
Can’t say that was my
Can’t say that was my experience touring Taiwan last year. Taipei was a bit hard in places to find or keep on the bike route but no worse than trying to ride in any major city as a tourist and way, way better than London in that regard. Outside Taipei we found the drivers very courteous, especially on the back roads. And the speed limits are low and enforced. Only place that was dodgy was a summit near Taipei where everyone rides their motorbikes and scooters on the weekend. Otherwise, it is an amazing place to tour.
The USA thing is because the
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
mattw wrote:
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”.
Like many things, it persists
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.
panda wrote:
England has got quite a history of being hostile to neighbours
panda wrote:
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.
That begs the question of
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.
I’m dutch, but live near
I’m dutch, but live near belgium.
We often ride in belgium, drivers are much more concidderate to cyclist there.
Learning how to drive in belgium is non-existent, they can get a learner permit and get instructions from parents .?? Drive your car through belgium and find out how bad the driving is.. this puzzels me i think it has do do with collective attitude towords other humans, not driver training or rules..
It’s been a long time since I
It’s been a long time since I travelled in either. I should go back and collect some fresh data. All I can say now is that Belgian infra a decade or so back was a … a bit rustic compared to NL. In fact there was much less of it – especially in the South.
(On the other hand I enjoyed the countryside in the Ardennes more than the lands further north. Perhaps experience north also different as I speak no Dutch at all? …the beer and frites were good everywhere though).
chrisonabike wrote:
Found this on a web site. :
Seems sensible to me. Cycling out of town is likely to be fast and if a cyclist crashes then the helmet may be of use and save strain on emergency services. The exemptions show some understanding of cycling unlike many rules in this country.
The Basque region was the most pleasant cycling I’ve ever done. The drivers were brilliant. Once you become accustomed to thinking drivers will overtake safely you can relax and enjoy the ride. Every time I hear a car behind in this country I’m preparing myself for the worst.
Bungle_52 wrote:
I guess it depends on who’s cycling / how they cycle?
I believe in NL (which offers a cycling environment very different from most of Spain) at least one safety organisation sees it almost the other way round. Despite the general Dutch popular attitude of “don’t feel we need helmets” they point out that a) the main helmet standard (which – yes – manufacturers could exceed) is essentially “offers protection if you fall off your bike at standstill” and b) at a population level there are an awful lot of people just falling off their bikes at low / no speed. So c) when cycling is so normalised that much younger and older people are doing so adding helmets for low-speed urban riding (what the majority of rides are) would be the most beneficial.
Of course most of those in favour of this view don’t support mandating the use of such PPE, just strongly encouraging it. Presumably either because the former would fail or it might actually work to discourage cycling and thus overall have a negative rather than positive health effect (on population).
Perhaps if the drivers in Spain are all as careful as people say the main danger in the countryside is fast riders wiping out, so pushing them towards helmet wearing makes sense? OTOH more sporty cyclists (at least in UK and apparently in NL) all seem to wear helmets anyway (part of the tribal uniform) – so maybe legislating this is not really necessary?
don simon fbpe wrote:
Does that mean ‘wear a helmet when you’re, er, …’?
It might. Who really knows?
It might. Who really knows?
A cyclist going at 30kph,
A cyclist going at 30kph, which is not uncommon, will now never be overtaken on a 50kph road. Nice traffic jam?
If/when there’s a queue of
If/when there’s a queue of traffic behind, they’ll pull over (coexistance and mutual respect).
JEMVisser wrote:
Driving at 20mph in a 30mph limit is not a traffic jam.
My expectation, admittedly
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’
I’ve done a lot of touring in
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.
I wholeheartedly agree. I
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.
+1
+1
You could pedal at least.
You could pedal at least.
bensynnock wrote:
It’s Europe – should be an EAPC so pedalling required? ?
I love the 20km/h below the
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.)
Without wishing to curb
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.
I made the mistake of
I made the mistake of starting to read the MDB comments and quickly gathered it was a Daily Mail type of publication 🙁
Aren’t immigrants supposed to
Aren’t immigrants supposed to respect the law of the land that they settle in?
Who thought up this cunning
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