Cycling in Madrid
The city of Madrid has been increasing in the last years its network of bicycle paths. In 2016, there were 195 km of cycling routes. The former city council had been planning to build 400 km more for the year 2024 despite a very vocal opposition to the construction of segregated infrastructure by a significant part of the local cycling community. However now with the new right wing mayor elected in 2019 the city is set to be the only capital in the world where bicycle lanes are being removed again.
Cycling by-laws
Madrid's cycling law was approved by the council of Madrid 5 October 2018. This law introduced several changes in all the city of Madrid, some of them modifying the previous status of the bicycle. The most important changes were:- Bicyclists must ride in the middle of the lane. Before, bicyclists may ride in the middle of the lane.
- Bicyclists are allowed to travel in the opposite direction of the other traffic in living streets.
- Bicyclists may use whichever lane on the road they want, although the rightest one is preferred.
- Bicyclists are not allowed to use bus lanes, unless there are explicit signs to do so. In addition, cyclists must ride on the left side of the bus lane. Note that in Madrid, taxis and motorcycles are allowed to drive on all bus lanes, except motorcycles on the la Castellana bus lane.
- Two bicycles may ride parallel in the same lane, unless this behaviour places in danger another cyclists or in bus lanes authorized to cyclists.
- It is not mandatory that cyclists ride through bicycle ways, unless it exists a mandatory cycleway sign.
- It is forbidden to ride on the pavement, on pedestrian streets and on pedestrian zones.
- Turn on red is allowed to bicycles if there is a traffic sign allowing that.
Infrastructure
In Spain's Spanish, all kind of bicycle infrastructure segregated from cars are called informally carril bici, which means bicycle lane. The Madrid's sustainable mobility law defines 8 types of bicycle ways.Nevertheless, other argue that there are up to 16 types of bikeways in Madrid.
Shared lanes
Car-shared lanes are lanes marked with shared-lane markings or sharrows. In Spanish there are called ciclocarril. This kind of infrastructure is marked with the drawing of a bicycle on the pavement and two "corporal" arrows that spans all the width of the lane. This is by far the most usual kind of infrastructure that can be found in Madrid and the defining character of cycling in the city. This lane has a speed limit of and is marked on the road, except in one lane streets, because in Madrid street with only one lane in a direction are de facto limited to.Sidewalk cycle-path
This is a bicycle path at the same level of the sidewalk. In Spanish is called acera-bici. This means that the segregation between pedestrians and cyclists doesn't exist or there is a difference of less than between the height of the cycleway and the pavement. In this kind of infrastructure, cyclists must yield to pedestrians when crossing transversely the cycleway. There is a speed limit of to cyclist. Examples of sidewalk cycle-paths can be found in O'Donnell Street or Serrano Street.Bicycle lane
This is a lane of the road that can be only used by bicycles. In Spanish is called carril-bici. It can have rumble strips as lane line. Examples of this type of infrastructure can be found at Toledo Street, Alcalá Street, Mayor Street, Oporto Avenue or Mayorazgo Avenue. There are also some bicycle lanes that run between a bus lane and other lanes, as in Carranza Street, Atocha Street or Gran Vía.Protected bicycle lane
This is also a lane of the road than can be only used by bicycle, but is protected with parked vehicles, bollards, kerbs or armadillos. It is called carril-bici protegido in Spanish. This bicycle infrastructure can be found in Santa Engracia Street, Camino de los Vinateros, Chopera Promenade or Francisco Largo Caballero Street.Shared-use paths
Shared-use paths, which are calle senda-bici in Spanish, are ways for pedestrians and cycles that run through open spaces, parks, gardens or forests, separated from road with motorized traffic. In those paths pedestrians have always priority and cyclists have a speed limit of. Usually, if not marked by a sign, all parks with paved paths of more than are considered shared use paths. If there are a lot of crowding and no separation between bicycles and pedestrians, maximum speed will be. In forest zones and suburban parks, bicycles can ride through inner paths.The most important shared-use path is Madrid Río, a park located in the banks of the Manzanares River and opened in 2011.