Yet another new regulation coming out of the Central Government. This time they plan to make bicycle helmets for minors obligatory and even carry out drug controls on pedestrians…

The Government had originally wanted to make every cyclist have to wear a helmet, along the lines of motorbike-helmet use, but the cycling fraternity was up in arms, so the Government reduced it to only minors but on all kinds of public rights of way.

Even the town halls that had installed a free-bicycle use scheme to cut down on motorized traffic were angry because they considered that it would put people off.

One cycling organization, ConBici, expressed the general sentiment over this new law, even in its weaker form, pointing out that it was flying in the face of international policy which advises against this obligatory use of helmets because it turns people off using bikes, when governments across Europe, for example want more bicycle use for health and contamination reasons.

And with that we move onto anti-drink-driving measures now and drugs found in a person’s organism will mean a 1,000 fine – suck on that. The test will be carried out by sampling the drivers saliva.

But it’s not only drivers, because if you are a drunk or stoned pedestrian who infringes the highway code, you will get fined, as well. Put another way, if a drunk staggers across a pedestrian crossing when it is in red, he’ll get a traffic fine of 1,000 euros.

The Chairman of the European Motorists Association, Mario Arnaldo, considers that this move is purely a form of raking in money rather than trying to correct anything.

Editorial comment: tossers.

(News: Spain)