Reducing speed limits in Spain

[olive]

I am sure I read an article - perhaps in a Newspaper, about proposals to reduce speed limits in Spain.

From memory the 120 was staying, 90 down to 80 and max of 30 on all unmade roads.

Has anyone got a link to the article please?

[swerve]

11/06/2014
New speed limits for Spanish roads will apply after the summer
Cyclists given rights and privileges in the new Spanish Highway Code
Earlier in the year major changes were introduced to Spanish road traffic laws, with several points left outstanding for further review, amongst them the whole question of speed limits.

This second phase of reviews is currently under way and it was announced on Monday that this second batch of amendments will include changes to speed limits after the summer, including a reduction to 30 km/h on most urban streets, temporary increases to 130 km/h on some stretches of motorway and a reduction from 100 km/h to 90 km/h on secondary roads where the road surface is over 6.54 metres wide. On narrower roads the limit will come down from 90 to 70 km/h, and on unpaved roads an upper limit of 30 km/h will come into force.

On motorways, buses and coaches with standing passengers and those without seat-belts will be restricted to a maximum of 80 km/h, and in urban areas the current limit of 50 km/h will remain in place on roads with more than one carriageway in each direction.

The draft for the new Highway Code has finished its period of being subject to proposed amendments, and the DGT will now decide whether any modifications are necessary before the new Code, which incorporates measures included in the new Road Traffic Law passed on 9th May as well as the new speed limits, comes into force.

Another innovation in the new document is that camper vans weighing up to 3,500 kilograms will now be legislated for, filling a void which was left when the current Highway Code was brought in in 2006. The limit for these vehicles, of which there are 40,000 in Spain and as many as 200,000 visiting every year from abroad, will be the same as for cars: 120 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on wide secondary roads.
The raising of the speed limit on motorways to 130 km/h will be allowed in areas with high security ratings and in optimum weather conditions.

On all roads the minimum speed is set at half the maximum, but cyclists and agricultural machinery are excluded from this rule.

It’s interesting to read the reasoning behind some of these changes. The lowering of speeds in urban areas is attributed to the fact that cars are no longer the dominant means of travel in town, and must share the streets with cyclists and pedestrians as well as electrically-powered vehicles and public services( buses and trams).
This recognition of the rights of cyclists extends to a new rule which allows them to overtake on both right and left in urban areas, and a recommendation that they occupy the centre of their lane in single-carriageway urban streets. In addition, pedestrians are expressly forbidden from walking in cycle lanes except to cross them, motorists are required to slow down for cyclists on roundabouts and the use of trailers for young children on bicycles is permitted.

[olive]

Thanks

[El Cid]

That information is no longer valid.

The proposals put forward have just been rejected by the State Council.

So it's back to the status quo.

http://politica.elpais.com/politica/201 ... 60400.html

Sid

[swerve]

Thanks Sid

[Gasman]

Well - I was quite impressed reading all that Swerve - must have taken ages to type out ... and then to get shot down again by Sid !!
So I have tried to plough through the Spanish in the link from Sid - Is it true that the whole lot is scrapped?!

[El Cid]

No, I think bits of it are left but it was the State Council who basically said to the government to reconsider it. I don't think they have the power to overturn it.

I think the 130 limit is unlikely and the lower limits on urban roads will be decided locally rather than a blanket change.

We will see - eventually!

Sid

[john the baptist]

does this mean that the god alwful cars without licences will be banned for good.

you know the "cars" on 50cc moped licences which old men who can drive clog up the highway and are a danger as they will only do 20kph on a 100kph road.

[barry]

Well 'john the baptist' what a christian attitude. For these people this might be the only transport they have, can afford or can legally drive. You want them to be taken off the road so that they do not inconvenience you! Shame on you.

[chrissiehope]

But they are a pain in the (supply your own word )

[El Cid]

I don't know if they are going out of fashion, but I can't remember seeing one for ages.

Sid

[olive]

Plenty around here. The retired old codgers use them to go and check their sons are pruning "his" trees properly!

I agree that they provide a very useful bridge between a proper car and walking. No different to encountering a god awful quad bike barrelling along at 40kph or a horse or a tractor and trailer going to the co op at 40kph.