SPEED INSIDE TOWN

Urban roads / Through roads

Urban roads – One lane in your direction

Urban roads with same platform for vehicles and pedestrians

Motorways and dual passing through town

Leisure and play zone

Unpaved roads

Why should you fulfil speed limits?

Outside town

At high speed: It’s more difficult to control your vehicle; the distance when slowing down is greater; injuries after accidents are worse

Conventional roads are the most dangerous one. Reasons: Two ways together; junctions; pedestrians and slow vehicles

In urban areas

Vehicles and pedestrians share the road

SPEED      PEDESTRIAN MORTALITY RATE

30 Kph                      15%

50 Kph                      85%

80 Kph                     100%

Other Speeds

Out of town -> 10 Km/h below > Truck 80 (motorways)

In town, where the limit is 50 -> 10 Km/h below > Truck 40

Conventional roads -> Buses with standing passengers or without seatbelts

Special vehicles

With trailer or without brake lights

Mopeds, light quadricycles, cycles & reduced mobility

Motorcycles, 3-wheeled vehicles, mopeds and bicycles towing trailers or semi-trailers > 10% lower

Types of Speeds

Generic: Established for safety and fluidity reasons

 
Specific: Indicated by signposts or road signs

Design speed of the road: The maximum you may drive safe in a section of a road under favorable circumstances

Abnormally low speed: Below the minimum one of each road. It is forbidden to go at this speed without any reason. Some situations prevent you from reaching this minimum speed: Rain, traffic, breakdown…
Some vehicles don’t have minimum speeds: Mopeds, bicycles, special vehicles…
If you can’t reach the minimum one on motorways or dual carriageways due to emergency, you must drive up to  the first exit and leave it

Prevalent speeds: Some speeds prevail over the generic ones:

Specific speeds: Indicated by signs

Specific speeds for some vehicles: With the panel V-4

Specific speeds for some drivers: With the panel V-4

Suitable speed: Adequate for the circumstances: Weather, vehicle, driver…

Inappropriate speed: Unsuitable for: road, weather, traffic, driver…This speed can be above the limits (excessive) or within the limits but losing control

You will slow down and even stop in the following situations:

There are pedestrians or animals near the road, especially if they may step on the road unexpectedly

Schools

Close to a bus stop, especially school buses

Buildings with direct entrance to the road (Elderly people)

Cyclists on carriageway or hard shoulder

Narrow roads

When coming across immobilized vehicles on the road (out of town)

Dazzled by the sun or lights

Slippery surface

When you may splash water to other users

Lack of visibility or extreme bad weather

Junctions with bicycle lanes

Level crossings or moving bridges

Roundabouts

At pedestrian crossings without traffic lights nor traffic officers

Junctions without right of way. When no visibility the maximum speed is 50 Kph

Bends and gradient without visibility

In the event of slowing down suddenly, you should check the inside mirror, brake several times to make the lights flashing or moving your left arm up and down

Speed competitions are forbidden on public roads except when authorities agree on it and set a zone for that purpose

If there are more than 50 cyclists in the same group, they need authorization