Glass Roads, Roundabout Fear, and The Law
If you’re from the UK, Ireland, or anywhere else that drives on the proper side of the road, the idea of piloting a vehicle in Spain can be a bit daunting.
In Spain, they drive on the right. The "wrong" right, if you ask me. But the fact is, almost everyone gets used to it pretty quickly in a car. This is largely because the controls switch over too. The gear stick and handbrake are on your right, you look right for the rear-view mirror, and so on. It forces your brain to recalibrate.
Like many people I spoke to before I made the move, I found that after about 30 minutes behind the wheel, my brain simply "switched." The only place I still get caught out is in car parks. I still, to this day, pull out of a parking space and have a momentary panic about which side of the lane I’m supposed to be on.
But generally, cars are easy. Motorbikes? Different game entirely.
Bikes are the same the world over. The clutch, throttle, brakes, and mirrors are in the exact same place regardless of which side of the road you’re on. Your brain doesn't have those physical triggers to make the switch. You have to have your wits about you. On busy roads it’s fine because you just follow the herd, but on quiet roads... well, let’s just say as a seasoned Spanish rider, I regularly see bewildered, sunburnt tourists on rental scooters coming at me on the wrong side of the road.
The good news is that once you get your head around the lanes, riding here is brilliant. Spanish roads are better than those in the UK or Ireland in almost every way, but they have their own unique foibles. Here is the "Mostly Bollox" guide to surviving them.
Roads Like Glass
OK, not all roads in Spain are like glass. But compared to the crater-filled obstacle courses we call roads in Northern Ireland, they might as well be race tracks.
I regularly ride the Beverly 350 in the UK, and as any biker knows, you spend half your time dodging homicidal drivers and the other half dodging potholes that could swallow your front wheel whole. Not to mention the utility trenches that leave six-inch grooves running across your path.
In Spain, the tarmac is a revelation. On the rare occasion they dig a hole, they put it back exactly as it was, or better. I've seen workers dig a trench, do the job, and be gone in hours. Not like the six weeks of temporary traffic lights you get in the UK. Even up in the mountain villages, the surface is generally excellent. Maybe it's the lack of rain, or maybe they just actually spend tax money on the roads. Either way, it’s one less thing to worry about.
There is no rush, Mañana!
It’s a cliché for a reason: the Spanish don't rush. This plays out in their driving. Traffic speeds here are considerably lower than in the UK.
I have no stats to back this up, strictly anecdotal evidence. On a UK motorway, if I sit at 70mph, I’m holding people up. I’ll have an Audi parked inside my top box trying to push me faster. Here, at 120km/h (about 75mph), you are almost always the fastest thing on the road. I tend to cruise the Beverly 400 at around 100km/h, and I rarely have to move to the middle lane to overtake.
Traffic is slower, and there is a lot less of it. Even "rush hour" on the Malaga bypass moves. It gets heavy, but it rarely stops.
Watch the Merge
One thing to be wary of is the motorway merge. The average stretch of Spanish highway is a bit of a shapeshifter.
Very often, a two or three-lane highway will expand into four, and then you'll see a sign telling you to stay in the left two to go straight, or the right two to peel off. Likewise, the "slow lane" will often just turn into an exit lane with very little warning.
The Spanish love to leave their road signs to the very last second. It's not unusual to see a sign, process it, and realise you’ve already missed your chance to change lanes.
My top tip? Watch the locals. They know where the merges are. If you see all the traffic drifting to the middle lane for no obvious reason, assume the right lane is about to disappear.
Speed Limit Roulette
Another thing to keep your eye on is the fluctuating speed limits. Spanish motorways are not the straight-line affairs you get in the UK. Due to the extreme contours of the land, the roads here are twisty, roller-coaster affairs often punctuated by long tunnels every 20 or 30kms.
Because of this, the speed limit fluctuates wildly. It is not unusual to pass through an 80, a 100, and a 120km/h zone all within a single 20km stretch. If you go into "autopilot" mode, you will get caught out. Speed cameras are common!
Top Tip: Most GPS units (including Google Maps or Waze on your phone) display the current speed limit. Get yourself a sturdy phone mount or GPS unit and use it as a visual aid. When the signs are flying past you, having that little number on the screen to confirm the limit is a licence-saver.
Safety in Numbers
One massive positive is that you are not alone. In the UK, a biker is an anomaly. You are an annoyance slowing down a Range Rover or a hooligan speeding past it.
In Spain, everyone rides. The businessman in the suit, the teenager in flip-flops, the grandmother with her shopping bags between her knees. Because everyone rides (or has ridden), car drivers actually see you. They expect you to filter. They move over. There is genuine safety in numbers.
However, that safety evaporates the moment you enter a roundabout.
The Geometry of Fear: Roundabouts
Spanish roundabouts are not traffic management systems. They are a geometry of fear.
If you tackle a Spanish roundabout like a Brit, indicating correctly, checking blind spots, and using the inside lane to turn left, you will eventually be taken out.
The locals view a roundabout not as a circle, but as a chicane to be straightened out. They enter wide, cut across the apex (the inside lane), and exit wide. If you happen to be in their path, that’s your problem.
I have a friend who works in Spanish insurance. She gave me the single most valuable piece of advice for surviving this madness: "Stay in the outside lane. Always."
It goes against every instinct I have. If I’m doing a 270-degree turn, I want to be on the inside. But in Spain, the law views the roundabout as a continuous curved road. If a car on the inside tries to exit and hits you in the outside lane, they made an improper lane change. They are at fault.
The Laws of the Land
A few final things that might save your wallet.
No Headphones, No Earplugs In Spain, it is strictly illegal to wear anything in or over your ears that isolates you from traffic noise. That means no AirPods and, surprisingly for many, no earplugs. The fine is usually €200 and 3 points on your licence. Note: Since the 2022 law update, you ARE allowed wireless intercoms installed in the helmet, provided they are for communication/navigation and don't block outside sound. But basic earplugs? Still a no-go.
Note: I do use earplugs. Yes, they are ilegal, but I want my hearing to last! If I get pulled over, I quickly remove my helmet and pull out the plugs. I use Loops, and have them on a lanyard, so it's a quick and easy job to pluck them out and tuck them side my jacket. If like me you use them, have a plan to get them hidden, fast!
Have Documents, Will Travel Roadside spot checks are common, especially in tourist areas during summer. They are mostly hunting for tourists on rental bikes without licences. I probably get stopped two or three times a summer. Once they see I own the bike, they usually wave me on. However, you must carry the originals (or certified copies) of:
- Your Driving Licence
- ID (Passport or TIE card)
- Permiso de Circulación (Registration document)
- Tarjeta de Inspección Técnica (The technical sheet/ITV card)
Parking: Not quite a free-for-all You will see motos parked everywhere in Spain. Designated bays, street corners, pavements. 90% of the time, you’ll be fine. But that 10% is a pain in the arse.
I recently got a ticket for parking right outside my own house on a wide, quiet pavement. I went to the police station to argue the toss. The officer told me that technically, parking on the pavement is illegal. He was right, even though my bike wasn't blocking anyone.
I sucked it up and paid the fine. This turned into a three-day ordeal involving the bank, the town hall, the post office, and the police station because Spanish bureaucracy is designed to break your spirit.
The Moral: Park in designated moto bays whenever you can. And if you do park on the street, put a cover on the bike. It turns out my ticket happened because the police were doing a "blitz" on cars from a local bar parked chaotically. My bike was uncovered, so they assumed it belonged to a punter and ticketed it. If it had been covered, they likely would have walked on by. Lesson learnt.