Driving in Spain
Now clearly the number 1 big difference
from the UK and Spain is they drive on the right hand side of the road and the
steering wheel in the car is on the Left. Just wait and see how many times you
go to get into the right hand side of the car as the driver LOL.
Hire Cars
You need your driving licence (next to
no hire company needs the paper copy, but check with your hire company) and
your passport. You will often be charged for a full tank of petrol and expected
to return the car empty (as you get no refund for unused fuel). Without a doubt
I highly recommend you pay for the full comprehensive car insurance. When you
hire a car, make sure it has 2x hi-vis jackets and 2x warning triangles in it,
the law states you need to have them but is not clear if every single person in
the car should have a hi-vis jacket or only the driver and the side passenger.
I am going to be doing more research into this one but if anyone knows, please
let us know.
Toll Roads
The main toll road in Torrevieja is the AP-7, you can drive all the way
from both Murcia-San Javier Airport and Alicante Airport until just before you get to
Torrevieja before you get to the toll stations. One of the toll stations is at
exit 763 "La Zenia” and the other is at exit 754 "San Miguel de
Salinas”.
Depending on what part of Torrevieja
you’re driving into; it’s possible to exit the toll road before you need to
pay. If you’re coming from Alicante Airport you can get off at exit 745
"Torrevieja (norte)” and if you’re coming from Murcia-San Javier Airport
you can get off at exit 768 "Dehesa de Campoamor ” and follow the N-332
the rest of the way.
The cost of the toll road varies week to
week and depending on if it’s high or low season, from approximately €2.00 to
€3.55 at each toll station. Torrevieja has 2 toll stations in close proximity
to each other between exit 763 and exit 754, so less than 9km apart but the
good news is you won’t see another again before each airport; indeed you can go
some distance in both directions and not come across another toll for quite
some time. Try to plan your routes, so you only have to pass 1 toll maximum on
any trip 🙂
See our tip in the IKEA Murcia page,
on why you should get and keep your receipt, when paying for the toll road.
N-332
The N-332 is the main (non-toll) road
from both Murcia-San Javier Airport and Alicante Airport, it basically follows
the whole route of the AP-7 however is closer to the coast, it is a slower road
speed rating wise, than the AP-7. It’s also a busier road and has loads of
roundabouts along the whole route, so naturally it’s a longer journey should
you choose not to use the toll road. 1st time drivers in Spain, I recommend you
take the AP-7 as it has less traffic on it and gets you more used to the roads
before you come across the madness that is roundabouts.
Roundabouts
You’re going to see more roundabouts
than you can find traffic lights in most parts of Spain outside of the main
cities. Roundabouts are probably the part you really need to pay attention to
people entering and leaving, and the folk either side of you if it’s a dual
lane (or more) roundabout and check all your mirrors before making a move. At
roundabouts, the people on the roundabout have right of way and then you’re
giving way to the traffic coming from the left before you enter. It’s not
uncommon to have people on the outside lane go all the way around, as someone
on the inside lane try’s to cut across at the first exit, so just be extra
vigilant at roundabouts and indicate to show when your exiting, even if the
other drivers seem to have cars without them. Additionally it should be noted
that from time to time you will see the Police (Guardia Civil) and Prostitutes
(not normally at the same time) hanging out at roundabouts, just tell your kids
that the lady must be waiting for a bus 😉 as for the Police, they are on the
lookout for anything they can ticket you for and often one of them has a speed
gun, They are mainly on the look out for drink driving.
Zebra Crossings
Just like in the UK your meant to stop,
but unlike in the UK you will find people throwing themselves out at you
expecting that you will stop and you will see many a driver who simply won’t
stop. Zebra crossings in Spain come in a few different types, some have no
lights with them, just black and white, some have lights and you will see some
that are red and white lines. Note that if your not in a car and your wanting
to cross, don’t just jump out, check that the cars are slowing down to let you
cross. I have seen a car in lane 1 slow down but the person in lane 2 going
full steam ahead, always look and check the oncoming traffic as you cross.
Driving in Torrevieja
It’s not the most fun experience during
high season, the roads are narrow and parking spaces are rare. Now they do have
car parks, so head to these for an "easier” parking experience, the car
park next to the Marina is probably the easiest to drive into and park at, as
the road leading to it, both in and out of Torrevieja is wider, unlike most of
the single lane one way streets in the main built up areas of the city. Some
interesting (plus frustrating things) you will see as you hunt for a space,
many of the bars and cafes seem to have spilled out onto the road, taking up
valuable parking spaces but sadly (if you’re looking for a space and not
enjoying a beer or coffee) this is common and there is nothing you can do about
it, as the owners pay the council for a licence to use these spaces. You will
see some of the locals "abandon” their cars on parts of the street that
are clearly painted to say you can’t park, don’t copy them, if you get your car
towed away, you will be in for a not so fun time trying to get it back with all
the paper work and costs involved.
Parking
It wasn’t until coming to Spain that we
noticed what bumpers are for, you will see people nudging their way in and out
of spaces using the car bumpers. Personally I wouldn’t park in a space like
that but you’re going to see this. When you see a Blue Zone, look for a ticket
machine that might be a way down the street, you need to buy a ticket and
display it. Torrevieja has around 7 car parks.
Children
Your kids should sit in the rear (unless
they are over 12) and if they are under 135cm tall you need to have the correct
car seat for them, just like in the UK.
GPS Devices / Your Smart Phone / Other Gadgets
You can use a GPS device in your car (as
long as it’s not classed as an attention distracting device, yes we know it’s
vague but hire companies do offer them as an add-on and they wouldn’t if you
couldn’t use them), but you can’t touch it when you’re driving. You need to
pull over where it’s safe (i.e. a street and not the motorway/dual carriage
way), turn off your engine (as having your engine running and touching the
device counts as driving) and program your route. If your GPS device is a smart
phone, same rules apply and your definitely not allowed to use your phone
without a hands free kit when you drive, yes you’re going to see loads of
people driving around with their hand stuck to their head but don’t do it, the
fine is not worth it.
Speeding Fines
Sure you shouldn’t speed but sometimes
it’s not very clear what speed you should be doing or the speed limit goes from
a fast speed right down to a slow one with very little in the way of warning.
Spain has a new piece of kit in revenue collecting arsenal, a Speed Trap
Helicopter that can record your speed, take a photo of your licence plate from
3 miles away and the first you will know about it is when your hire company
charges your card for it. Also many of the tunnels now have average speed
cameras so make sure you slow right down to below the typical 70km speed limit
for these oh and you turn your headlights on dipped also. An example of a
speeding fine is if your caught doing 130km in a 100km zone you will get around
€100 fine, this is classed as a minor infraction. If you either pay it on the
spot with a credit card (if the Police car has a credit card machine) or if you
pay within 20 days you get a 50% discount. Serious and Very Serious
infractions are going to cost you €200 and €500 respectively and attract 2, 4
or 6 penalty points. So don’t speed if you want to avoid that 😉
TORREVIEJA
ZEBRA CROSSINGS
Torrevieja zebra crossings can be
somewhat confusing to new visitors to the city. They can also be a nightmare to
drivers as they’re literally everywhere. Although they can vary slightly from
country to country, they basically give right of way to pedestrians. Some are
located on raised speed humps. Others may have additional yellow beacons on
either side of the road. And yet others may have traffic lights and red and
green pedestrian signals indicating when to walk.
Torrevieja Zebra Crossings
The majority of Torrevieja city centre is laid out in a grid square. The
main dual roads run through the city parallel to the beach. These are crossed
by smaller single streets. The majority of these are one way. As you
travel through the city parallel to the beach, one city block will have a one
way going towards the beach, then the next block the one way will head away
from the beach. In theory this works well once you’ve got used to it and
keeps the traffic flowing.
Torrevieja Zebra Crossings at Traffic Lights
Torrevieja zebra crossings at main
traffic lights are just downright dangerous. If a main traffic light has a line
for where vehicles must stop and green and red ‘walking man’ traffic signals to
show when pedestrians can cross, this is adequate and the norm in most
countries. By adding a zebra crossing is just giving the wrong signal to
pedestrians. Many holidaymakers, and trust me I see them on a daily basis,
regard a zebra crossing as their right of way, even if the traffic signal for
pedestrians is red and the traffic is flowing! No wonder horns are heard
regularly.