The Administration is willing to address the old biker demand of being able to circulate on the shoulder in circumstances of heavy traffic jams. The general director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, has assured that this measure will come into force "this legislature." This was stated this Tuesday during the presentation of a study by the Mapfre Foundation and the Spanish Road Association (AEC) to reduce accidents on conventional roads. And he also said it in the last March issue of the official magazine of the DGT, where he opened the door to introducing “modifications to the traffic rules on the use of lanes and shoulders in special situations, in bad weather and with traffic jams.” ”.
Changing the regulations has been on the table for a long time. So much so that the DGT itself shared a publication on shoulder in certain circumstances and under certain conditions. A situation that is allowed in other countries and whose objective - rather than improving fluidity - is to separate motorcycles from cars in an environment as aggressive as a large traffic jam.
As we have said, this is not the first time that the DGT speaks openly about this possibility, just as it also does about generally optimizing the use of lanes by all drivers of both two and four wheels. Being able to roll on the shoulder in case of a traffic jam is not the only solution that is being studied nor is it aimed exclusively at motorcyclists; Also on the list are making passage through HOV lanes more flexible or limiting the use of the left or center lane in adverse weather circumstances to ensure “safe passage” to emergency or maintenance services.
Of course, to do this it would be necessary to modify articles 35, 36 and 37 of the General Traffic Regulations (RGC) that regulate the use of shoulders. In fact, the regulations already make it clear that “when reasons of safety or fluidity of traffic make it advisable, another direction of traffic may be ordered by the competent authority, the total or partial prohibition of access to parts of the road, either in general terms. , either for certain vehicles or users, the closure of certain roads, the mandatory following of specific routes or the use of shoulders or lanes in the opposite direction to that normally provided.
The text establishes that mopeds are obliged to circulate on the shoulder on their right, if it is passable and sufficient; Otherwise, they must use the essential part of the road. As a general rule, they cannot circulate in a parallel position with other vehicles that also circulate on the shoulder, except for two-wheeled mopeds that can travel in a column of two as long as they do not invade the road.
Beyond the apparent contradiction that the RGC allows fragile mopeds what it does not allow for the most robust motorcycles, it happens that Traffic issues are extremely sensitive, they cost votes - although they also win them - and at this moment of politics The quarrel, the government does not seem too willing to bring to Parliament anything that could be controversial or give ammunition to the “enemy.”
It is difficult to think, therefore, that the Government will come up with a reform of the General Regulations before the end of the entire electoral cycle that is about to arrive and in the middle of the holiday period, so the approval of the new regulations would take us to 2025 and as long as The Executive has the support for this.
The other occasions on which the Administration has mentioned the possibility of authorizing circulation on the shoulder, the conditions under which this would be possible were hinted at.
It is worth remembering that in the event of a breakdown that does not prevent movement, the current law already allows resorting to the right shoulder as long as a reduced speed is maintained, the rest of the road users are warned by using the emergency lights or the turn signal. right and exit at a point where you can safely stop and call for help.
This will be the basis from which the new regulations will be based; Firstly, access to the shoulder must be signaled from a specific point by a traffic officer and, in no case, may it depend on the discretion of the drivers.
It would always occur in very difficult traffic conditions, large traffic jams or inclement weather and the final objective would be to separate motorcycles from the risk posed by hundreds of cars stuck together.
It would not, therefore, be any free bar to circulate on the shoulder as if one were in a normal lane; The speed would be limited to about 35 km/h and the motorcycle would have to leave the shoulder as soon as the traffic officers ordered it.
As long as the regulations are not modified, it must be made clear that currently riding a motorcycle on the shoulder remains a prohibited practice, which carries a fine of 200 euros.
