After years of invective from motorists and pedestrians, Spain's traffic Authority (the DGT) is to soon permit the arch-criminal from Hell, the cyclist, to ride on pavements at least in places where there are no purpose-made cycling paths.
Praiseworthy though it seems, I can see problems with this initiative. It will mean increased conflict at the pavement level where cyclists already have precious few friends. Cyclists will need to carry a mental tape measure with them since the DGT proposal limits rights of access... to where the pavement is more than 3m wide'. Above all they will need to restrain their current aggressive nature towards pedestians, for example not ride as fast on the pavement as they do on the road. Unfortunately the DGT statement omitted to mention who has priority. Lawyers are already rubbing their hands in anticipation of litigation work for years to come.
The scheme of persuading more of the population to cycle sounds environmentally good but the reality is car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians live together in today's urban society like dogs and cats disputing the same fish or bone. Each lobby feels the others are the criminals, so each is reluctant to give an inch of its conventional territory. As I've mentioned before on this blog, the car driver in particular feels he's king and resents any change in the law that threatens his domination.
Mind you, unlike 'drinking&driving', the 'anti-smoking' and 'wear-your-seat-belt' campaigns worked - well more or less. But only when they were enforced . Is that perhaps the answer here. A big TV/cinema education campaign complete with user norms - and then fine transgressors. Noise pollution next!
Link to map of Barcelona city cycling paths
http://www.bcn.es/bicicleta/docs/mapacarrilbici-OK.pdf
