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DRIVING

‘Nothing prepared me for the eccentricities of Spanish driving etiquette’

In her latest column, Heath Savage, an Australian who swapped the Sydney suburbs for a restoration project in rural Galicia, describes the trials and tribulations of driving in Spain.

Published: 5 November 2019 15:30 CET
'Nothing prepared me for the eccentricities of Spanish driving etiquette'
Photo: anyaberkut/Depositphotos

In Sydney I had fallen out of love with driving. I was never timid behind the wheel (I learned to drive in California in a car the size of a small house), but gridlocked roads, aggressive driving culture and expensive, elusive, parking turned me off.

One of my roles as a community services manager entailed coordinating development strategies across four centres, about 45 minutes from each other in the west of the city. Four centres that covered over a hundred suburbs, as well as the Blue Mountains! So, I spent a lot of time in my car, or looking for somewhere to park it.

Adjusting to driving on  the right held no terror, I was simply thrilled to find that there is very little traffic where we now live, though the flocks of sheep and goats are a novelty. When we tootle around in the little red Peugeot 108 we swapped for our gas-guzzling SUV, negotiating aforementioned flocks, potholes, dozing dogs, and the odd jabali, I am once again enjoying myself behind the wheel.

An international permit was necessary before I acquired my Spanish license. Easy-peasy. Acquiring the car was a little more complicated. Decent pre-loved cars cost far more in Spain than they do in Australia.  So, we opted for a new car, on a fairly tight budget, as most of our money was earmarked for renovations and sustaining us until we could earn.

Due to a dodgy knee that I acquired in a violent encounter with a French hooker ( I played rugby when I lived in Belgium, wash your mind out with soap this instant and go and stand in the corner!)  I prefer to drive auto transmission. This meant a bit of a wait. The wait extended when EU emissions legislation dictated a recall of the model I ordered, meaning we couldn't collect our car for almost six months.

The dealer gave us some goodies for being nice ladies and waiting patiently. Peugot kindly gave us a 2019 model instead of the 2018. I drove home from Monforte in our spiffy red coche ( which we named Pabla) feeling like a teenager who just passed her test.

We had driven around with many friends, so knew our way around a bit. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the, shall we diplomatically call them “eccentricities?”, of Spanish driving etiquette.

Using the inside lane on roundabouts appears to be taboo. Indicators? Optional.

Parking diagonally across two spaces/disabled spaces/pedestrian  crossings appears to be mandatory, as does driving home p***** after lunch!   I was stopped once, and the bemused officer of the Guardia asked me to blow again into the breathalyzer, convinced that, at 4pm, NOBODY could possibly blow 00! 

Abandoning one's vehicle in an eccentric spot, for an indefinite period seems to be fine as long as the hazard lights are on. My personal favourite is the “emergency” stop in the middle of the road, to chat to someone in an oncoming car.

The laid-back demeanour of local people, on or off the road, is something I have come to treasure.

They seldom fuss or hurry, until they find themselves driving  behind another vehicle; when it becomes imperative they get up close and personal, and eventually pass, preferably on a blind bend.

We are adjusting, day by day, kilometre by kilometre, on the winding country roads of Galicia that take us home.

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LEGAL HELP

Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

Town and city fiestas are commonplace in Spain and they’re part of what made many of us fall in love with the country in the first place, but sometimes the town hall can overstep and the noise pollution just gets too much to bear for neighbours.

Published: 22 May 2024 09:35 CEST
Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

It’s bad enough in Spain when you have to deal with noisy neighbours or loud bars and clubs, but what about when the culprit is your ayuntamiento (town hall) or city council?

If you want to know what your rights are on noise from construction, find out here, what to do about noisy neighbours here and about bars and clubs here. 

During these local fiestas (every city, town and village has at least one a year), councils set up concert and performance venues form of open-air stages or tents called casetas or carpas.

In these cases, there’s often no sound insulation and the noise carries much further as everything happens outside.

Even though these festivals may only go one for a week or two, they can often disturb residents who aren’t in attendance and are trying to sleep.

You could be someone who needs extra sleep like a doctor, nurse or firefighter, you may be ill or have small children, there are many reasons why you might not be able or want to join in. Even if you are in the minority, your rights should still be respected.

In fact, in places such as Barcelona, when the local Gràcia festival takes place, there’s so much noise created by neighbourhood organisers that some people even decide to leave their apartments for the week as they know they won’t be able to sleep.

This option is of course not open to everyone, and in truth, you shouldn’t have to leave your home temporarily because of a celebration that is supposed to bring joy to the local population.

So, what can you legally do and what are your rights?

Even city and town councils must continue to comply with municipal by-laws during local fiestas. The Spanish Civil Code guarantees that you should have respect in your own home.

Law 40/2015, of October 1st, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, which came into force in October 2016, establishes that “Public Administrations objectively serve the general interests and act in accordance with the principles of effectiveness, hierarchy, decentralisation and coordination, with full submission to the Constitution and the Law”. 

This means that even the authorities must uphold the law and serve their people. They have a public responsibility to manage and to do it to the best of their abilities.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you stand a much better chance of getting your council to listen if you find other people who are affected too, so it’s not just you complaining on your own.

Make sure to talk to your neighbours or others living on the same street to find out if they’re also affected by the noise and form a group of people who share your grievances.

In theory, councils and ayuntamientos are in charge of enforcing celebration schedules, making sure the volume of music isn’t too loud, controlling the capacity at venues and enforcing alcohol laws so that people are not drinking on the street (if it’s not allowed in that region).

READ ALSO – FACT CHECK: No, Spain’s Balearics haven’t banned tourists from drinking alcohol

According to Law 7/2002 on protection against noise pollution, these are the maximum sound levels allowed for leisure venues:

Nightclubs: 104 decibels

Venues with musical entertainment: 90 decibels

Game rooms: 85 decibels

Bars and restaurants: 80 decibels

Find out if the festival events and activities infringe on any of these rules and regulations above and if they do then you have a case to take to your town hall.

Technically, the festivals should take place at a local fairground or somewhere away from the main residential area, but we know that this is not always the case. The concerts and events often happen in the very streets and squares where people live.

Firstly, you need to contact your ayuntamiento or local council or explain the problem. It’s best if you put it in writing so there’s a record of what you’ve said.

Try to include as much evidence as possible as to how the festivals are breaking the rules and include testimonials from as many neighbours as you can.

Organisers may not listen to you the first time, but if you keep contacting them, they will be forced to listen and have to respond.

If the situation is the same every year and they still don’t change anything, then you and your neighbours should contact a lawyer to represent you and take the matter to court.

This has actually been done several times by different communities throughout the country and in many instances, the law has sided with the people instead of the authorities.

In 2017, the Superior Court of Justice of Navarra, sided with a community of owners in Mutilva Baja when they complained about noise coming from an outdoor tent which had been erected for the festivities of the local patron saint. They claimed it was noise pollution above the legal levels and said the council had done nothing to try and reduce it.  

In another case in Getafe, thanks to a neighbourhood protest led by a lawyer specialising in noise pollution called Ricardo Ayala, the carnival celebrations were moved to the fairgrounds on the outskirts of the city.

Again in 2022, in Castilla-La Mancha, the Supreme Justice Tribunal imposed a sentence on the the Puerto Lápice City Council due to damages derived from noise pollution from musical events held in the town square.

The celebrations were not forced to be stopped completely but the council did have to agree with a limitation on hours and noise levels specifically for the concerts held in tents outside. It did not affect any other part of the festival.

Therefore, it is possible to take legal action against your ayuntamiento if they are breaking the law, but there’s no guarantee it will be a straightforward process.

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