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Who does not remember

Ana Botella,

the former mayor of Madrid, riding an electric bicycle from the Madrid public shared bicycle service called

Bicimad

.

Numerous politicians invite us to use the bicycle as a healthy and environmentally friendly means of transport, including

Teresa Ribera herself

, Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.

During the pandemic, the use of the bicycle was seen as an escape valve to avoid confinement, causing a massive destocking of bikes, with models in which you had to wait 6 months to be able to enjoy them.

Of the more than 10 million people who use the bicycle, in 2021 about 7.7 million used it during the pandemic and among them,

700,000 have started using it in the last year

.

Now, the bicycle is a personal mobility vehicle (VMP) and is thus cataloged by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) that constantly reminds that, as such, it is subject to traffic regulations.

zebra crossings

One of them is to

cross the street or the road at the zebra crossing without getting off the bicycle

and exercising priority over other vehicles, exactly the same as pedestrians, although cyclists are not pedestrians and, moreover, are

prohibited from circulating along sidewalks and pedestrian areas

.

There are many cyclists who know and respect the rule, but there are others who

ignore it or break it on purpose

with the consequent anger of motorists.

The DGT has just reminded through its Twitter account that crossing a pedestrian crossing without getting off the bike is an infraction that carries a

200 euro fine

.

"Bikes do not have priority at pedestrian crossings. To cross a pedestrian crossing, it is mandatory to get off the bike and cross it on foot.

Crossing a pedestrian crossing without getting off the bike has a 200-euro fine

."

The

Civil Guard also constantly reminds

on its Twitter account that zebra crossings are not made for cyclists and warns them that to cross them they have to get off their bikes and walk.

"A zebra crossing is a space enabled for pedestrian crossing and

it is clear that the bicycle is a vehicle

. When a cyclist has to cross it, he must get off and walk. Cyclist! Be civic and set an example of compliance with the rules" .

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