Cycling helmets on tour

[BoldonLad]

Have any of you been to Spain? They have 2 rules for helmets. Another is that very few deaths are avoided by wearing a helmet quite a few studies have found out. A car or lorry will make mincemeat of you if its a bad collision. As far a I am concerned a helmet is a fashion accessorie forced upon us by the Health and Safety fanatics. I can see why Big Sportives events insist, it's all down to insurance.

I knew about the helmet rules in Spain, but, recently, I was reading a blog about a couple of cyclists touring through Spain, where they claimed, it was also law (in Spain), that, if there was a cycle track, you HAD to use it, rather than cycle on the road. Not sure if this is true? If it is, I have broken the rules

 

[mjr]

I knew about the helmet rules in Spain, but, recently, I was reading a blog about a couple of cyclists touring through Spain, where they claimed, it was also law (in Spain), that, if there was a cycle track, you HAD to use it, rather than cycle on the road. Not sure if this is true? If it is, I have broken the rules

I think it's like most of Europe, in that a blue round bike sign indicates that you are required to use it, whereas a rectangular bike sign indicates it's optional. Both are in the Spanish road signs manual. (In the UK, the round sign means optional but allowed, whereas a rectangular sign only means that the road is part of a cycle route: this second one confuses visitors, who think it means they can cycle on the pavement.)

Of course, there are so many exceptions, including things like if there's no gap in the barrier where you want to turn, that I think it's very rarely enforced unless you're being a daffodil about it and trying to "take the lane" on a busy airport approach road when there's an empty flat cycleway next to it, or something like that.

 

[BoldonLad]

I think it's like most of Europe, in that a blue round bike sign indicates that you are required to use it, whereas a rectangular bike sign indicates it's optional. Both are in the Spanish road signs manual. (In the UK, the round sign means optional but allowed, whereas a rectangular sign only means that the road is part of a cycle route: this second one confuses visitors, who think it means they can cycle on the pavement.)

Of course, there are so many exceptions, including things like if there's no gap in the barrier where you want to turn, that I think it's very rarely enforced unless you're being a daffodil about it and trying to "take the lane" on a busy airport approach road when there's an empty flat cycleway next to it, or something like that.

Interesting, thank you, everyday is a school day.