SPANISH NEWS: Pedal power gaining ground in Spain where 1.5 million cycle daily

PEDAL power looks as though it is becoming the means of transport of choice for growing numbers of Spaniards.

A new report reveals that 1.5 million get on their bikes every day, or 3.5 per cent of the population, and just over one in five cycle at least once a week. What’s more, 50.7 per cent of those taking part in the study said they do use a bicycle, two points up on two years ago.

The Barometer of the Bicycle 2019, based on a survey of 3,000 12 to 79-year olds from October 3 to November 4 this year, was presented early this week at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid by the Network for Bicycles, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and the Directorate General of Traffic.

It also showed that the cycling gender gap in Spain is closing. Today 58.9 per cent of cyclists in Spain are men, against 42.8 per cent who are women. In 2010 less than 29 per cent of Spain’s cyclists were female.

The country’s medium-sized cities have higher levels of bike use than the biggest metropolises. Heading the cycling ranks are Seville (59.7 per cent), Zaragoza (58.1 per cent), and Valencia (55.77 per cent). This compares with 51 per cent in Barcelona and less than 47 per cent in the national capital.

DGT director general Pere Navarro commented that reducing maximum speeds in urban areas is one way of making city streets safer for cyclists, but also to introduce measures to reduce car use.