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Date Published: 30/03/2022
ARCHIVED - Dutch roundabouts arrive in Spain
The new system for roads in Spain gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians
Roundabouts in Spain: everyone has an opinion on them, many are terrified of them, and most believe there absolutely has to be a better, safer solution to the carnage frequently witnessed all across the country. Enter the Dutch roundabouts, which are currently being trialled in several Spanish cities.
Given the prevalence of bicycles, electric scooters and motorbikes in larger towns in Spain, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) is determined to make the roads safer for these users. So, after lowering urban speed limits on the whole, the Traffic authorities have adopted the roundabout systems most commonly used in Holland and Denmark, countries where bikes are much more widespread in urban areas.
The main characteristic of Dutch roundabouts is the creation of an external bike lane that gives priority to cyclists and electric scooters. For the most part, these roundabouts operate the same as normal ones in Spain: drivers should enter with caution, signal when they need to exit and give way to cars already circulating in the roundabout.
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The difference is that, at Dutch roundabouts, to enter and exit, motorists will also have to respect the priority of the cyclists in their lane. Likewise, in Dutch roundabouts there are a series of marked pedestrian crossings that give people on foot the ultimate priority, as cyclists will also have to yield to them.
Dutch roundabouts have already been constructed in cities such as Logroño and Bilbao in a bid to make pedestrian and cyclist traffic safer, but the measure has been met with much controversy. This is largely down to the lack of information available about how these new roundabouts operate, an accidental ignorance which could end up resulting in more road traffic accidents, exactly the thing this new system is trying to avoid.
According to the DGT, in recent years, around 10% of all accidents on Spanish roads occurred at roundabouts.
Image: DGT
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