Benidorm collaborates with the DGT in a campaign to protect pedestrians and guarantee their safe mobility

Benidorm City Council is collaborating in a campaign promoted by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) and the support of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) that aims to achieve an effective reduction of accidents that occur on sidewalks and pedestrian spaces.

This campaign, which lasts for 15 days, was born with the slogan ‘No pasa’ and the hashtag #HagamosAcera and is accompanied by specific surveillance and control of bicycles and personal mobility vehicles.

The Councilor for Mobility, José Ramón González de Zárate, explained about the campaign that "Benidorm fully supports it with the desire that people become aware." It is, as he has said, "through the Local Police, control and teach those who travel by bicycle, scooter or personal mobility vehicles that they must circulate in coexistence with pedestrians."
The General Traffic Regulations and the General Vehicle Regulations establish that all personal mobility vehicles are considered vehicles for all purposes and, therefore, "their drivers are obliged to comply with the traffic regulations." Among those regulations, González de Zárate has specified, is "the prohibition of circulating on the sidewalks to guarantee the safe mobility of pedestrians." The offense is classified as serious and may carry a penalty of 200 euros.

The DGT campaign emphasizes that reality shows that “not all users respect the norm and it is common to see scooters circulating on the sidewalks, a behavior that not only generates complaints among citizens but is also dangerous for pedestrians.

"What we explain" has continued the mayor, "is what the regulations on the obligation to wear a helmet, reflective vest, lights, etc. mark." In this sense, he has alluded to potential situations “when a scooter goes at a higher speed. It can cause an accident and cause a lot of damage to the pedestrian ”.

González de Zárate insisted that Benidorm is "an example with more than 100 kilometers of bike lanes" and recalled that if the driver of a scooter, a personal mobility vehicle or a bicycle "must circulate at the speed of pedestrians, maximum 10 kilometers per hour, wherever there is no bike lane ”.
The Councilor for Mobility has remarked that the purpose is "to increase social awareness about this problem because guaranteeing the safe mobility of pedestrians is essential to move towards the model of mobility and urban coexistence that we all want."

As a complement to the communication campaign, a specific surveillance campaign is also being carried out these days to control the circulation of personal mobility vehicles and bicycles on the sidewalks to report and reduce these infractions.