Good coexistence between different road users is vital to guarantee the safety of all of them. Therefore, it is important to comply with traffic rules. However, this is not always the case and sometimes inappropriate behavior occurs on the road. Such is the case of the cyclists who star in the video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the collaborative platform for motorists SocialDrive.
The images, improperly recorded by the driver of a car – it is totally prohibited to operate a mobile phone while behind the wheel – show how the group moves in a platoon, occupying almost the entire lane, an anti-regulatory behavior that has outraged some of the users of the social network. “I am a cyclist and these people bother me too; Not facilitating circulation is the worst thing you can do,” said Alex Martín.
Juan Luis F has expressed himself along these same lines: “Pure scoundrels. I am also a cyclist and I have never ridden in the middle of the lane, always on the shoulder and if there isn’t one, always as close to the road line as possible. First for my safety and then for that of others.”
And what does the DGT say regarding the movement of cyclists in groups? Article 36.2 of the General Traffic Regulations (RGC) indicates that they can only go “in a column of two, staying as close as possible to the right end of the road and standing in a row in sections without visibility, and when they form traffic jams.” And the cyclists in the video move in a formation of up to four riders in parallel without occupying the shoulder. This arrangement makes overtaking maneuvers difficult for other vehicles that want to overtake them to travel at a faster pace than bicycles.
Although some people may think that the overtaking of cyclists carried out in the video by the red car with a solid line is illegal, it should be said that this is not the case, since passing can be done as long as the maneuver can be completed without endangering the driver. other road users and maintaining a lateral safety distance of at least 1.5 meters. On roads with only one lane in each direction, you can invade the opposite lane if other vehicles or cyclists do not approach facing you.
At this point, it is worth remembering that the last modification of the Traffic Law introduced changes in overtaking cyclists or mopeds. Thus, on roads with more than one lane in each direction, it is mandatory to change lanes and occupy the adjacent one to overtake cyclists or mopeds. Before this was a recommendation, now it is an obligation.
Failure to respect this distance, endangering or hindering the movement of cyclists during the maneuver to overtake them entails a fine of 200 euros and the loss of 6 points on the license, two more than with the previous regulations.
