The Dirección General de Tráfico has this week vehemently denied plans to implement registration and insurance for bicycles, and has deplored the “deliberate misrepresentation” being made in relation to the a meeting held last week at the Centre for Road Traffic Education in Salamanca.
The DGT says that the aim of the meeting was to bring together social agents, associations and institutions linked to the world of cycling to see firsthand the different visions of the alleged proposal that have been circulating.
However, in the meeting, the DGT made it quite clear that they have no intention of implementing any such scheme.
Despite one initial obstruction to the proceedings, the meeting was said to have gone well and the findings showed that the vast majority of groups agree on the need to develop a strategic plan for the bicycle, with the participation of administrations, associations and groups of cyclists, to define the basic guidelines.
The need for voluntary training for cyclists was discussed, along with plans to evaluate the inclusion of cover in personal or home insurance, also voluntary, with coverage for cyclists. However, even the discussion relating to insurance was focused around voluntary options rather than forced compliance.
The strategic plan would need to appraise and enhance the use of bicycles as a mode of transport and form guidelines and indicators for evaluation and monitoring. These indicators will focus on aspects such as energy costs, mobility, health, employment, traffic and infrastructure, always in connection with the municipalities, companies in the bicycle sector, universities and other institutions concerned.
To develop the plan, the appropriateness of entrusting the task to the working wroup, “Grupo de Trabajo 44”, set up within the Higher Council for Traffic and Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility of the DGT, to which new participants can be added at any time.
To ensure safe and sustainable mobility requires that minimum training standards be established, not only for cyclists, but for all users of the public highway. These contents will focus on the following areas:
- Paradigm shift: motorization to safe, sustainable and healthy mobility.
- Social values applied to mobility and peaceful coexistence among all road users.
- Vulnerable groups in both mobility and social risk, being incorporated crosswise.
The training is presented as voluntary, encouraged by policy incentives and bonuses, and supported by the network of collaborators with diffusion capacity.
The training is not limited to formally and can be educational, but also must be encouraged in non-formal contexts such as companies, associations, local authorities, etc.
Importantly stakeholders who provide this training must have experience in the use and handling of the bike in different environments.
For safe mobility for cyclists possible solutions will be sought with the applicability conditioned to the characteristics of the infrastructure, but in any case ensuring the peaceful coexistence.
The possibility for the suggested voluntary inclusion in personal or home insurance coverage will be proposed for riders in the case of theft or accident.
Numerous groups attended the conference and took part in representing each of their particular sectors. These groups were:
- Asociación en Bici por Madrid
- Biciclot
- Asociación de Marcas y Bicicletas de España (AMBE)
- Federación de Ciclismo Castilla y León
- Ciclista Profesional
- Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias
- INTRAS
- CNAE
- Proyecto educativo Stars
- Aula de la bici
- Fundación Mapfre
- Línea Directa Aseguradora
- Valencia Con Bici
- Revista Ciclosfera
- Área Movilidad Ayto. Sevilla
- Área Movilidad Ayto. Madrid
- Ministerio de Educación
- Ayto. de Santa Eulalia
- Ciudades que caminan
- Educación Zamora
- CRIE de Zamora
- Bici escuela de Alicante
- Muévete en Bici
- Consejería de Educación de la Xunta de Galicia
- ETRASA
- Asociación B-612
- La bicicleta en la escuela. Zaragoza
- Asociación Con bici
- DGT
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