Originally Posted by Oden
Hey.
I am going to be over in Spain for 4 months starting in September. Would it be easy there for a foreigner to get around by bicycle. I'm not talking direction wise, but more practical issues. Are the roads in good shape? Do the cops hassle people on bikes a lot? Are cars fairly respectful of bikes?
Any info is appreciated.
I think it depends on the city. Which part of the country are you going to visit? I don't think Madrid is particularly bike friendly as the the traffic is infernal there. Seville is becoming a lovely place to cycle, though. By the time you get here, our bike paths--all 177 kilometers of them--will be finished.
As far as the Spanish coppers are concerned, they tend to be über laid back. They certainly don't expend any energy hassling cyclists, grass smokers or other such deviants. In fact, it's hard to even get them to go after real criminals. Many of them, at least here in the south, seem to prefer to spend their time in the confines of a barroom drinking
aguardiente and talking about bullfighting or
fútbol.
The roads are much better than they used to be, thanks to E.U. funding.
Regards,
Ekdog