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Earlier in the year, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) floated the idea of allowing motorists to drive on the hard shoulder when traffic jams become especially bad in order to ease congestion. Now, the authorities have done a complete u-turn by announcing that we won’t be able to drive in them at all going forward.

 

Instead, the Spanish government has suggested reducing or eliminating hard shoulders altogether and replacing them with cycle lanes on low-traffic national roads. And it stands a good chance of becoming a reality, as the possibility of replacing hard shoulders with bike lanes was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on October 10.

 

Accidents between bicycles and cars remain high on Spain’s interurban roads, such as the N-332 in Alicante or the RM-332 connecting Cartagena with Mazarrón along the Murcia coast. More separate bike lanes would naturally reduce the risk.

 

What remains to be seen is how this new regulation on segregated lanes will be applied, as if they are mandatory, it could restrict traffic.

 

 

With its publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE) last Friday, October 10, the General Road Regulations state the following:

 

"On multi-lane roads and conventional roads with a low average daily traffic intensity where it is considered especially appropriate to include a cycle route or continue an existing one, existing hard shoulders may be reduced or removed for the construction of cycle paths adjacent to state roads, providing that road safety conditions or the proper operation of the road are not jeopardised."

 

This new regulation was developed with the aim of expanding the network of cycling routes that prioritise safety and thus promote sustainable mobility between towns and cities. However, cyclists who use the roads every day for training are taking the regulation with some caution, since if the R-427a (cycle lane) sign were used, the lane would become mandatory, thus limiting the freedom of movement they had previously enjoyed.

 

One thing both cyclists and drivers should be aware of, though, is that hard shoulders will only be reduced or replaced if a technical report guarantees that the new bike lanes don’t result in a road safety risk or hinder the normal operation of the road.

 

 

Image: Archive