Campaign to raise awareness about safety in the circulation of cyclists

Salou. Costa Dorada. 03 October 2018. The Local Police of Salou has presented a campaign, which the city of Salou has baptized as "Salou, space of coexistence", and whose purpose is the responsible and safe use of the bicycle. The action began last week informing cyclists about the rules to follow for proper circulation in Salou, after which penalties will begin for non-compliance with regulations, such as helmet use, correct lighting or compliance with the rules of security.

The Department of Citizen Security and Mobility of the City of Salou wants to remind both the public and the many visitors the need to make responsible use of bicycles to circulate in the right places and in the manner in which it is included in the Law of Road Safety. Thus, the agents, will be especially fixed in the infractions at the time of circulating by the sidewalks and against direction but also, making recommendations on the use of the helmet and also of the need to illuminate correctly the bike so that it is visible to the rest of people and vehicles. The councilor responsible for the area, David Gonzalez, highlighted how "in Salou there are a large number of bicycles, which are one more vehicle, and therefore, must respect the traffic code." "That's why," he added, "our agents will take special care in respecting the street in order to coexist pedestrians and cyclists."

With this new campaign, the Local Police intend to keep the informative spirit in force - and subsequently sanction - with the aim of reconciling the pedestrian-cyclist binomial, when both coincide in a common space, such as on foot or on sidewalks, since , sometimes, cyclists do not respect pedestrians and in others it is the other way around, pedestrians do not respect cyclists.

However, Gonzalez has assured that in Salou there is a very high bicycle park, and that is why they will be a source of study in the Mobility Plan that is being carried out, which will help us to plan the future of mobility in the town; and that -effectively- "there are many people who circulate correctly either by the road, either by the lanes of coexistence or by the bike lanes, but we can not lower our guard". This campaign began last week, coinciding with the week of mobility.

On the other hand, the Head of the Local Police of Salou, José Luis Gargallo, has stressed the importance of coexisting in pedestrians and cyclists, and the awareness and training works that are made from the local police in the different educational centers of the municipality.

Among the recommendations made by the Local Police at the time of circulating include:

• Respect traffic signals.
• Seepit in advance all maneuvers such as turns, overtaking or stops.
• Bike off the bicycle at pedestrian crossings.
• The cyclists should go in a row or maximum in a group of two people, and as close to the sidewalk. In the case of advance, the distance should be 1.5m.
• Wear the helmet on.
• Light the vehicle correctly to avoid accidents.

Among the prohibitions include:

• Carry adults on the back of the bike.
• Circular using mobile or headphones as well as driving in a drunken state.
• Park the bikes by tying them to the trees or lampposts. In this sense, Salou has 400 bicycle parks on the public road, therefore facilities are provided for proper parking.

The infractions carry fines ranging from 60 minor infractions, to 500 euros in the case of very serious infractions.

Salou currently has 4 kilometers of coexistence lanes and 19 more lanes for exclusive use for bicycles, and will be extended by 9 kilometers more in the future.

It must be remembered that Salou is certified by the Catalan Tourism Agency in Cycle Tourism. This seal includes the promotion of Salou as a destination with infrastructures to be able to enjoy the bicycle, both in the family cycling mode inside the municipality and to know the neighboring municipalities through the network of bicycle lanes, as in the BTT modality with the Cross Country circuit, such as road cycling, in which the user can choose Salou to stay and become the starting and finishing point of any of the routes along the Costa Dorada roads.

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