One of the great problems of road legislation is interpretation. In the absence of a rule being clearly explained to us, our interpretation is similar to gastronomy, let me explain: a stew is a dish of chickpeas with its broth, its vegetables and its fixings, but the interpretation of what a stew is is not the same. in Badajoz than in León.
The same thing happens with traffic regulations; Despite the fact that the Law is the same for all of Spain, circulation and respect for the norm are not understood in the same way, and this is a patent problem when, for example, interacting in the presence of cyclists .
Places with a cycling tradition such as the Basque Country, the Pyrenees, Cantabria or Asturias are territories where cyclists ride under a greater sense of security, because most of their drivers see cycling normally and with respect.
As the population increases, we find more problems, reaching what have been the most conflictive areas; large cities that have forced the inclusion of the bicycle as a means of sustainable transport, but far from achieving effective integration, the opposite effect has been generated, mainly for 2 reasons.
The first is the lack of real adaptation that exists for bicycles; poorly planned bike lanes (on sidewalks), reservations on the road with inconsistent and/or dangerous layouts, infrastructures lacking in maintenance, etc. The Town Halls claim “cycling friendly” cities, but only a substitute is achieved where neither cyclists nor drivers feel comfortable seeing coexistence well resolved.
The second reason is the tremendous lack of information and driver education; and the selfish view that those who infringe are always "others". For this reason, it is necessary and essential to educate in plurality and in self-criticism, integrating and not isolating, thus building a better society.
Perhaps, once again, we will have to appeal to the DGT and to the effort that should be made by those who, in their position, can. The publicity of the rules and road education are necessary and only then will a status quo be reached where all users are equal, without feelings of superiority or complexes and above all, so that the criteria on the rules are everywhere, the same; especially since we are talking about rules that put lives in danger.
You have to set the goal looking at the model of countries like Belgium or the Netherlands, where education and road training are instilled from children. We will not achieve that the stew is the same everywhere, but the purpose of the training and information is that the standards are more like the recipe for the boiled egg, a universal concept not subject to interpretation, than that of a chickpea stew, with all its versions.
