the limit for a second time in two years . Once those bans have been served , they will have to undergo psychological and physical assessment before being allowed back on the roads . For full story see : El País in English
Bicycle sales rise as number of accidents involving cyclists increases
Over 1.1 million bicycles were bought by residents in Spain 2015 alone , outnumbering cars by 70,000 . Figures for 2016 are not yet available , but expected to be similar or higher as residents take advantage of mild winters in the south and Mediterranean to get about without needing to be inside a heated car , and those in the colder north enjoy cool enough summers that they do not need to hang up their two-wheeled transport because it is too hot . But a complete State policy in favour of cyclists , covering infrastructure , accident prevention and air quality , is still at the draft phase , despite The Netherlands and the UK having had such programmes in place since 1990 and 1996 respectively , says Manuel Martín of the Bike Protection Coordinator ( ConBici ) ( Full story on : ThinkSpain ). Meanwhile , the number of accidents on Spain ’ s non-urban roads involving cyclists doubled between 2009 and 2015 : from 1,082 to 2,013 . What ’ s more , the trend is reflected within cities , where over the same period the number of accidents grew from 2,387 to 5,173 . At the same time , the number of people taken to hospital after a road accident involving bicycles rose from 489 in 2009 to 652 in 2015 , a 33 % increase . Full Story on : El País in English .