On March 21, the changes introduced in the Traffic and Road Safety Law came into force, with which we must already be aware; and that have the objective of adapting to the new reality, improving the efficiency of the system and reinforcing road safety.
For this reason, to overtake a bicycle or a moped, you must now do so by completely occupying the adjoining lane on roads with 2 or more lanes in each direction. On single lane roads, you will have to maintain the minimum lateral separation of 1.5 meters or you will lose 6 points. It is a way to protect this vulnerable group.
and if you want pass a cyclist and another one approaches? If we are going to overtake a bike and we meet another from the front, if it is not possible to maintain this separation, we will not be able to overtake. The General Circulation Regulation (RGC) establishes this (article 85): «it is forbidden to overtake endangering or hindering cyclists who are traveling in the opposite direction». And not only when they occupy the road, but also the hard shoulder, as the Road Safety Law underlines.
It is also worth remembering Article 59 regarding intersections, which establishes that “even when they have right of way, no driver must enter an intersection or a pedestrian or cyclist crossing with their vehicle if the traffic situation is such that , predictably, can be stopped in such a way that it prevents or obstructs cross traffic.
And, can cyclists ride in a platoon? According to article 54 of the General Circulation Regulations, it authorizes cyclists to circulate in groups, but going in a group does not mean going in a platoon. Thus, cyclists will circulate along the hard shoulder on their right, if it is passable and sufficient for each of these, and if it is not, they will use the essential part of the road. On long descents with curves, when safety reasons allow it, bicycle drivers may leave the shoulder and ride on the right side of the road as needed.
The bicycles, exceptionally, they can circulate in a parallel position, in a column of two, edging as much as possible to the extreme right of the road and standing in a row in sections without visibility, and when they form traffic agglomerations. On motorways they may only circulate on the hard shoulder, without invading the road in any case.