The Art of Spanish Driving

I wasn't going to write about driving in Spain, figuring that it was probably much like driving in France. However, after being here for some time, it has become abundantly clear that that particular assumption was wrong. There are some key areas of difference, which I've decided to share with you.

First, the roundabouts. At least, that is what they appear to be at first glance. On closer inspection, however, what is revealed is a complex and hopelessly confusing mass of changing lanes, traffic lights and arrows, clustered around what appears to be a circular mound in the middle of the road. Some questions that immediately come to mind are:

- Why bother with a roundabout at all if there are going to be traffic lights involved?

- Equally, why bother with traffic lights if there is a roundabout?

- Why bother at all?

- Whose idea was it to drive into the city?

- Which lane am I in again?

- And why is some Spanish guy shouting and threatening to get out of his car??

Second, the autopistas. In France, the speed limit on the autoroutes is 130 km/hr (which about 50% of the drivers adhere to). Here, it is 120 km/hr (which about 5% of the drivers adhere to). In fact, as an experiment, I decided to speed up in order to try to follow a car which had overtaken us, only to find that it was travelling far in excess of the speed limit. Shortly thereafter, I terminated that particular experiment, for what will appear as very good cause. In France, despite the limit being a paltry 130 km/hr, it is relatively safe to exceed to the limit as the lanes are wide and the road straight. Not so in Spain. Here, the autopistas seem to curve like some crazy version of Medusa's hair and roadwork is almost as common as in Andorra (and that is saying something).

Third, signage and maps. Crap, simply crap. In fact, the Spanish driving map we have is pretty much useless for a whole host of reasons, including the following limited list:

- Roads exist that do not appear on the map.

- Many of the roads that are on the map are numbered differently in real life to the way they appear on the map.

- All of the exit numbers on the autopistas are different in real life as compared with the map.

- Some exits do not appear on the map.

- Some towns that appear to exist (unless we have been halucinating) do not appear on the map.

As for the signage, it doesn't really assist. The Spanish appear to have perfected the art of putting signs up next to the road after they are required, so that you find out that the last exit for 50 kilometres was the one you needed to take after you have passed it.

Fourthly and finally, parking (always my favourite). French parking is nothing to what we've seen here. We haven't engaged in it ourselves yet, but we've noticed that it a lot of drivers have the practice of double-parking anywhere they like on any street. This is apparently rendered permissible by simply turning on the car's yellow hazard lights (although this practice is not universally adhered to - naughty naughty!). It is not necessary to stay with the car, much less move it within any particular amount of time.