Change to overtaking cyclists.

grasscutter

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Just read that there are changes to the law regarding the overtaking of cyclists in Spain.

Not sure if you slow down to 20kmh below the speed limit that you will ever pass the cyclist.
 
I don't rode a pushbike, but cycling down the centre of the road makes no sense at all, the poor cyclists is now faced with 2 vehicles passing them.

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Just read that there are changes to the law regarding the overtaking of cyclists in Spain.

Not sure if you slow down to 20kmh below the speed limit that you will ever pass the cyclist.
Equally if you are within 10% of the speed limit it's going to be a dodgy overtaking manoever unless you go over the speed limit. There isn't a law that says you have to overtake that's like some car drivers obsessed with not driving behind a motorhome!
 
🚴‍♂️ New Traffic Rules for Overtaking Cyclists in Spain – What’s new for 2025! 🇪🇸

by Car Registrations Spain 🇪🇸 🇪🇺

👉🏼 Spain’s DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) has proposed several changes to traffic laws aimed at improving cyclist safety on the roads. 🛣️ These updates, set to come into effect in 2025, are designed to protect vulnerable road users while promoting better coexistence between cyclists and drivers. Here’s what’s coming...

🚗 FOR DRIVERS

• Reduced Speed When Overtaking: Drivers must reduce their speed by at least 20 km/h below the posted limit when overtaking cyclists. 🛑 This creates a safer environment and minimizes speed differentials.

• 1.5-Meter Safety Distance: The existing rule remains unchanged. Drivers must maintain a minimum lateral clearance of 1.5 meters when overtaking cyclists. 📏

• Changing Lanes on Multi-Lane Roads: If the road has more than one lane in each direction, drivers are now obligated to fully change lanes to overtake cyclists safely. 🔄

🚴 FOR CYCLISTS

• Compulsory Helmet Use: Cyclists will be required to wear helmets on all roads, except in cases where medical exemptions apply. ⛑️

• Positioning in Urban Areas: In towns and cities without dedicated bike lanes, cyclists will need to ride on the roadway, preferably occupying the center of the lane. This ensures better visibility and deters unsafe overtaking by vehicles. 🚦

• Overtaking Rights: Cyclists will also be permitted to overtake motor vehicles on either side in urban settings. 🚲➡️

🌟 Why These Changes Matter

The DGT’s initiative focuses on reducing accidents and improving safety for cyclists, motorcyclists, and other vulnerable road users. 🚸 These measures not only aim to prevent collisions but also encourage greater respect and understanding among all road users. 🙌

⚡ As we enter 2025, it’s important to stay updated on these changes and how they’ll impact road use in Spain.

⛵ If you have any questions about these regulations or need assistance with vehicle documentation, Car Registrations Spain is here to help! Stay safe out there! 🚗⚡



Car Registrations Spain S.L. is the leading vehicle registration service of pre-registered foreign vehicles in Spain. If you have a foreign registered vehicle that you would like to register on to Spanish plates or think we can be of service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team.

📧 info@car-registrations-spain.com
🇪🇸 +34 868 990 576
🇬🇧 +44 (0)2380 200 706
 
Not sure if you slow down to 20kmh below the speed limit that you will ever pass the cyclist.
How does that work in a 20kmh limit lots of them now in Spain, I think it could be difficult to overtake a cycles when stationary. 🤣
Also, now the cyclist are to pedal down the center of the carriageway if there is no cycle path.
I've seen quite a few cycle lanes in the centre of the road in Spain.
 
I bet most Spanish drivers ignore the 20km rule,
Yes many do but also plenty drive even slower than that out in the campo where the speed limit is far higher as they are checking what is growing & watching cabbages/lettuce,artichokes, etc,etc growing They are completely oblivious to the fact that in Spain there is also a minimum speed limit of 50% of the posted amount & you should not be doing less than that.
By slowing down to 20km below the speed limit could end up with overtaking a cyclist takes couple of minutes.
in a 20km per hour limit pray tell me how you overtake when you have to reduce speed by 20kph?:unsure: You have to stop to overtake?? It is all nonsense & invented ,as usual in any country, by complete ****wits
In a 50kph limit slowing to 30 to overtake means they will disappear up the road.
• 1.5-Meter Safety Distance: The existing rule remains unchanged. Drivers must maintain a minimum lateral clearance of 1.5 meters when overtaking cyclists. 📏
Which has always meant around here that if they are riding out to the white line it isn't possible to overtake as the lane on the left is only 2m wide so to be 1,5 m clear of the muppet you have to drive in the ditch.
• Changing Lanes on Multi-Lane Roads: If the road has more than one lane in each direction, drivers are now obligated to fully change lanes to overtake cyclists safely. 🔄
As above but you can't allow them 1,5m even when you do that as the roads aren't wide enough????

Even if you have a 4m lane in each direction & they ride out to the white line you still have to allow 1,5 m clearance leaving you 2,5m of road to overtake in ,less the space taken up by parked vehicles. As I said it is all nonsense.

There isn't a law that says you have to overtake t
No but the majority trying to overtake here are working not out enjoying themselves as usually they are funcionarios ( get all the holidays ,don't do much ,rarely many hours,have a job for life, can't be sacked,etc;etc,etc) & have loads of time off when they should be working like the rest of us.
 
Especially interesting is that cyclists are now allowed to overtake on either side of motor vehicle.
Effectively this will allow filtering when traffic is queuing, such as at junctions etc. Otherwise, cyclists would only be allowed to pass on the right.
Is in a 50kmh limit the cars have to slow to 30kmh and will then struggle to get past the cycle anyway :unsure:
In built up areas, leisure cyclists would probably only be doing about 20kmh.
I bet most Spanish drivers ignore the 20km rule, also within reason, the quicker you pass a cyclist the safer it is. By slowing down to 20km below the speed limit could end up with overtaking a cyclist takes couple of minutes. How safe is that?
Problem is for cyclists, vehicles passing at higher speeds creates quite a draught, than can be unsettling, especially with larger vehicles, or insufficient gap.
Equally if you are within 10% of the speed limit it's going to be a dodgy overtaking manoever unless you go over the speed limit. There isn't a law that says you have to overtake that's like some car drivers obsessed with not driving behind a motorhome!
Unfortunately too many drivers only look just in front of their vehicle bonnets, and if it’s a motorhome, caravan, or cyclist, obsess with getting past them regardless of whether or not it is safe.

TBF, I often cycle in Spain 🇪🇸 and find that in general it feels safer than cycling in UK.
 
I don't rode a pushbike, but cycling down the centre of the road makes no sense at all, the poor cyclists is now faced with 2 vehicles passing them.
The centre of the lane is the position cyclists are supposed to occupy in the UK. This is known as the "primary" position". Cyclists should move to the secondary position, which from memory, is a meter from the left hand edge of the road only when it is safe to do so to allow a vehicle to safely overtake.

The logic behind all this is motorists tend not to see cyclists riding in the gutter or if they do they just overtake closely without usually checking if anyone is coming in the opposite direction. By riding where they can be more easily seen they force motorists to slow down and overtake as a deliberate manœuvre. In the same way they would overtake a horse.

You can find all this explained in Cyclecraft which is published by HMSO.
 
Why do the authorities hate cars so much? hundreds of new laws, rules and fines every year.
Surely these crazy autocratic people drive cars at some point and are also affected.

Just going out on my bike as I've got lights on it now and exercise will help lower my cholesterol.. I hope nobody slows down to pass me 😆

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Why do the authorities hate cars so much? hundreds of new laws, rules and fines every year.
Surely these crazy autocratic people drive cars at some point and are also affected.

Just going out on my bike as I've got lights on it now and exercise will help lower my cholesterol.. I hope nobody slows down to pass me 😆
Do they hate cars or just realise that you can't rely on drivers to have good road manners and common sense. I think we've all seen drivers overtaking where it isn't safe or getting too close to cyclists and horses rather than wait a minute or so to a safe passing place.
 
... because when you own a car, it's a law that you can never be inconvenienced by any other "lesser" road user?
Yes... Within reason. We are "lesser" on our bikes because we take up a small portion of the road and shouldn't be selfish towards the many other hundreds of road users we will encounter on a single typical journey.

Another example of a tiny minority influencing the many, and common sense going out of the window.
IMO 😏
 
Yes... Within reason. We are "lesser" on our bikes because we take up a small portion of the road and shouldn't be selfish towards the many other hundreds of road users we will encounter on a single typical journey.
Another example of a tiny minority influencing the many and common sense going out of the window.
IMO 😏
I disagree. Everyone has equal right to use the road safely. Car drivers shouldn't selfishly put other road users at risk because they want to get somewhere faster.
 
I disagree. Everyone has equal right to use the road safely. Car drivers shouldn't selfishly put other road users at risk because they want to get somewhere faster.
Wouldn't be so bad if it was 1 car passing, but with today's traffic it would be 20 cars, all waiting for the ideal long straight piece of wide road to pass, when there's nothing coming the other way and they can go wide round and pass at 20mph. Maybe a utopian dream for you but a nightmare for the majority of road users, and cyclists would be despised even more. 🤔

I don't think it will happen, it's like those ridiculous pedestrian highway codes they dreamt up the other year, thankfully both pedestrians and motorists revert to common sense and the green cross code.

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Wouldn't be so bad if it was 1 car passing, but with today's traffic it would be 20 cars, all waiting for the ideal long straight piece of wide road to pass, when there's nothing coming the other way and they can go wide round and pass at 20mph. Maybe a utopian dream for you but a nightmare for the majority of road users, and cyclists would be despised even more. 🤔

I don't think it will happen, it's like those ridiculous pedestrian highway codes they dreamt up the other year, thankfully both pedestrians and motorists revert to common sense and the green cross code.
Maybe the solution is in built up areas to reduce the speedimit to one that cyclists can maintain!
 
And about Spanish traffic laws anyway, even the scooter riding Police ignore the silly speed limits in Benidorm (and probably many other towns) they zip past when you keep to the limit and they aren't on an emergency. Oh and the other silly mandatory one - you must wear gloves on a motorcycle or scooter, again police don't bother, seen them pull up at the side of me at the lights, no gloves 😁👍
 
Maybe the solution is in built up areas to reduce the speedimit to one that cyclists can maintain!
Maybe the solution is to create propper cycleways, not just painting a line on the road. Then make it compulsory that cyclist them
 
Myself and my wife (over 70) cycle about 7 miles most days . We very occasionally are confronted by ignorant motorists but this is quite rare. When we are cycling on narrow lanes wil will actively seek out safe passing places so following motorists can safely ovetake us, why would a cyclist delibrately cycle in the middle of the lane to wind the 2 ton car driver up just because we he's allowed to in the highway code.
We use our commonsense , most people do, why wouldn't you unless you're a moron!
 
Wouldn't be so bad if it was 1 car passing, but with today's traffic it would be 20 cars, all waiting for the ideal long straight piece of wide road to pass, when there's nothing coming the other way and they can go wide round and pass at 20mph. Maybe a utopian dream for you but a nightmare for the majority of road users, and cyclists would be despised even more. 🤔

I don't think it will happen, it's like those ridiculous pedestrian highway codes they dreamt up the other year, thankfully both pedestrians and motorists revert to common sense and the green cross code.
Cyclist have a right to use the road. If car drivers had common sense, they'd overtake when it's safe. Unfortunately, many get impatient and risk the cyclist's life. Apparently waiting isn't an option for far too many. Hence we end up with strict rules to improve the safety of cyclists because too many car drivers don't have common sense.

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Maybe the solution is to create propper cycleways, not just painting a line on the road. Then make it compulsory that cyclist them
I think a lot would agree with that. When you look at other countries it's like our public transport system we're a bit behind the curve. I actually think we had too many years of catering for cars as a priority maybe that's why some now feel car drivers are being picked on. My mil still drives at 94 and still expects to park just outside anywhere she's going.
 
still expects to park just outside anywhere she's going.
I can't see the problem with that?
Maybe the solution is in built up areas to reduce the speedimit to one that cyclists can maintain!
Here we have 20kph,30kph ,eyc,limits if the cars keep to them the bikes travel at there usual flat out training speed.
we need far more cracking down on them to keep to speed limits, stop using mobile phones etc all of which they are subject to here in spain the same as if driving a vehicle.
 
I think a lot would agree with that. When you look at other countries it's like our public transport system we're a bit behind the curve. I actually think we had too many years of catering for cars as a priority maybe that's why some now feel car drivers are being picked on. My mil still drives at 94 and still expects to park just outside anywhere she's going.
I don't think the system has been catering for cars, it's just the British thing of doing as little as possible. Our roads are awful for cars and cyclists, public transport doesn't work for most people. We are like rats in a trap, because we can't do what we want,we turn on each other, rather than the people in charge of the trap, the politicians
 

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