MORE BIKES – LESS SPEED

Torrevieja played host to the third edition of a road safety conference this week, in which the attention was given to hopes for more cycles on the roads and less speed,

Along with the Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, the event was atended by the Ministry of the interior´s sub delegate Luis Aguilera, regional secretary Asunción Quinzá, and the director general of traffic, María Seguí Gómez,

Whilst detailing the need to adapt traffic policy to meet the needs of the modern road user, Luis Aguilera said that the General Traffic Regulations requires “deep reform”, whilst detailing how, in early 2015, is expected that the new 30 kilometre per hour speed limit on urban roads is likely to come into force, lowered to 20 kilometre per hour in the case of pedestrian areas, but will remain at 50 kilometres per hour maximum speed in the case of streets that have more than one lane in each direction.

In the new regulations, bicycles have a greater presence and their right to driving on the road is established, taking consideration of vehicles, to avoid frequent points of conflict between cyclists and pedestrians travelling along the pavement. This, together with the reduced speed limit, is the focus on promoting the use of bicycles as a sustainable mode of transport within the action plans of the DGT and the government to reduce CO2 emissions.

Torrevieja has already inaugurated a number of routes that mix cycles with the normal traffic flow. Although the “cycle streets” have caused confusion with a number of road users, the routes are indicated by special signs which feature a pictogram of a bicycle, but the most prominent change in use on these roads is that the bicycle has priority over other vehicles.

Around 400 people from different sectors of industry attended the conference held in the municipal theatre, all keen to meet with the traffic policy makers and learn the real implications of the policy change. There was also a detailed discussion on a number of grants available from the European Union which are available to subsidise a variety of road based projects.

The deputy of the government of Valencia, Serafín Castellano, also attended the closing event of the conference, along with the DGT.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/45040/

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