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DRIVING

Ghost bikes raise awareness of cycle lane dangers

A strange sight has appeared on the streets of Logroño; bicycles that seem to disappear into thin air.

Published: 30 May 2017 09:00 CEST
Ghost bikes raise awareness of cycle lane dangers
Cycle Lane 9 ¾ to Hogwarts by Intervencion Urbana sends a message about poorly designed bike lanes. Photo: Intervención Urbana

But the unusual installations in the capital of Spain’s Rioja region are designed to send a strong message by highlighting the dangers that cyclists across Spain face when using poorly designed cycle lanes.

An intiative by “social collective”  Intervencion Urbana has seen the placement of half-bicycles in unusual settings across the city to illustrate the fact that sometimes, cycle lanes just disappear.

One installation is named Cycle Lane 9 ¾ to Hogwarts – a reference to the fictional platform at Kings Cross Station from which wizarding students such as Harry Potter catch the train back to Hogwarts. To do so they must run at what appears to be a brick wall, emerging the other side to a platform not visible to muggles.

“We want to illustrate a daily reality for cyclists, that of the technical negligence of cycle paths that means they can suddenly come to an end or disappear into the wall of a building,” said the group in a statement.

“We are trying to raise awareness through thought provoking installations”.

More than 400 cyclists have been killed on Spain's roads in the last decade, according to El Pais, with the number of accidents involving cyclists and cars doubling between 2009 and 2015.

Earlier this month three cyclists were killed on a road outside Oliva, on Spain's Costa Blanca, after being ploughed into by a 28-year-old woman who tested positive for both alcohol and drugs.

READ MORE: Spain steps up roadside tests to clamp down on drunk drivers

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DRIVING

Can you do your driving test in Spain with an automatic car?

Most non-EU drivers who move to Spain need to resit their driving test in order to be able to get behind the wheel here. But is there an option to do the practical exam with an automatic vehicle in a country where most cars are manual?

Published: 16 September 2024 15:50 CEST
Can you do your driving test in Spain with an automatic car?

Getting a car in Spain may be necessary depending on where you live in the country. For example, if you move to a rural area or a small town in Andalusia, northern Spain, Extremadura or Castilla-La Mancha, you will probably need your own vehicle.

Some of these places lack adequate public transport and you may have to move around to be able to access services in other locations. 

If you live in big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, it’s not so necessary to own a car as their public transport networks are very good. 

But for those who do need a car, and may be coming from outside of Europe it may be daunting for them to have to learn how to drive a manual car instead of an automatic one. 

EU nationals living in Spain can drive on their EU licence, as long as they are still valid, but non-EU nationals can only drive on theirs for up to six months until they need to exchange it for a Spanish one or take a new driving test.

Spain has bilateral agreements with a number of non-EU countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Ukraine and the UK. You can find a full list here.

This means that nationals of these countries can swap their licence for a Spanish one without having to take a Spanish driving test.  

But if you’re originally from a non-EU country that doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Spain, like the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada for example, you’ll need to take a driving test in order to get a new Spanish driving licence. 

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: The documents to show if you get stopped by police 

Driving a manual car (coche con cambio manual) where you have to change gears yourself can be difficult, particularly for those who have never ever driven these types of cars.

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: Can I take my theory and practical tests in English?

Can you take Spain’s practical driving test with an automatic vehicle?

Good news – yes, you can. There is actually a special licence you will be issued for vehículos de transmisión automática, but you will only be able to drive automatic cars in Spain. It is a variant of the B licence, but only for cars without a clutch pedal or gearbox with gears.

The practical exam itself is no different from that for people getting the standard B licence, which allows holders to drive both manual and automatic cars.

With a manual car licence you can drive any type of car weighing 3,500 kg GVW, whether it has a manual or automatic transmission, but with an automatic driving licence you can only drive automatic cars. 

This will still be a relief for those who never learned how to drive a manual car, but it may be difficult in some certain circumstances, if for example you’re hiring a car and they don’t have any automatic ones.

Electric cars are automatic, so that’s worth keeping in mind as well.

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: Who can exchange their licence and who has to resit the exam?

If you do get caught driving a manual car and you only have an automatic licence you can be fined €500 and have four points removed from your licence. You will also not be insured to drive any other type of car.

The good news is that you can drive electric cars, as well as hybrid cars that don’t have a manual gearbox.

READ ALSO – Spanish driving licence: the essential language to pass your practical test 

How can I get this special licence for automatic vehicles in Spain?

The first step is to find a driving school that carries out this type of test, as not all schools will offer the chance to get an automatic-only licence.

This is because the number of people wanting a licence for manual vehicles far outweighs the number wanting one for automatic transmission vehicles. In fact, according to Spain’s RACE car association, only one in every 100 people ask for an automatic-only licence in Spain.

If you’re going to be living in Spain long-term or even permanently, it may be advisable to take some extra driving lessons so you can learn how to drive a manual car and simply take the test for the normal manual licence.

Those that choose to take the exam in a manual car will be able to use their Spanish licence to drive both manual and automatic vehicles.

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