Cycling in Madrid; 2023/05/25

If you see something worth noting, leave a descriptive comment plus the time it occurs and I may add its timestamp to the index below.

Note that due to the wide-angle field of view, speeds appear higher in the video than actual speeds. My typical cruising speed here on my two-speed Brompton folding bike is around 25 km/h or 15.5 mph. And you can tell from my comfortable speaking that I am making very little physical effort here.

See Strava route at:
https://www.strava.com/activities/9149206405

0:01:43 O Riding out of Plaza de Alamillo in La Latina section of West Madrid
0:02:26 O Right turn onto Calle de Bailén with curb-lane 30 bike lane
0:04:11 O Cycling past Royal Palace on the left
0:04:37 O Two-lane street, no 30 bike lane but speed limit still 30 km/h (because only one lane is going in each direction)
0:05:24 O Narrow, street with paving stones/tiles
0:06:34 O One-way, two-lane street with 30 bike lane
0:07:11 O One-lane, one-way street downhill with contra-flow bike lane going uphill on Calle Major
0:08:02 O Entering hybrid pedestrian space on La Puerta del Sol
0:12:42 - Two-way, segregated cycle track
0:13:33 - GHOST BIKE ON LEFT CORNER OF CYCLE TRACK; ONLY ONE I SAW IN MADRID!
0:13:42 + BiciMAD ebike share system station
0:15:44 O Four-lanes in my direction with Taxi/Bus, 30 Bike Lane, and two general travel lanes on Paseo del Prado
0:18:42 O Entering traffic circle (glorieta) at Atocha Train Station
0:19:30 + Motorway (freeway) on-ramp from center of the street; no diversion on outside lanes; avoids freeway features on a surface street
0:20:50 O Hanging out in left lane of one-way street looking for an opportunity to make a left turn; not using marked 30 bike lane
0:24:06 + Left-side bike lane on one-way street along parking; enough room to avoid the door zone
0:24:29 + Advanced stop line for cyclists provides some protection from left hook, as long as traffic signal is red
0:25:08 - Motor cycles using the left-side bike lane
0:26:12 + Advantage of side bike lane in congested traffic
0:26:40 + Side bike lane turns into 30 bike lane
0:32:02 O I discover another two-way, segregated cycle track
0:32:41 - Two-way cycle track ends on sidewalk with no connection to another bikeway
0:33:07 O Side bike lane with small buffer from door zone
0:35:17 - Potential drive-out conflicts across side bike lane
0:39:38 O Approaching Carlos V glorieta (roundabout)
0:41:09 + BACK ON 30 KM/H SHARROWED BIKE LANE ON EL PASEO DEL PRADO
0:45:19 + LANE SPLITTING BETWEEN 30KM/H BIKE LANE AND LANE TO THE LEFT
0:46:04 + PASSED BY TWO CYCLISTS DRIVING THEIR BIKES
0:47:07 - can't find 30km/h bike lane; maybe on right side of median?
0:48:02 + 30 KM/H BIKE LANE FOUND!
0:49:57 O Bus lane on LEFT side of roadway
0:50:23 + Advanced bike stop line allows me to get ahead of traffic before lane reduction
0:50:38 - passed on right by four-wheeled motorcycle
0:53:20 + Using advanced stop line to get ahead of red-signal traffic queue
0:58:09 - steel gratings in bike lane, may be slick when wet
0:58:56 ? Would Americans in U.S. cities like cycling like this, fully integrated into the traffic flow?
0:59:27 + I get in front of queued traffic despite lack of advanced stop line
0:59:41 + Chasing young woman on ebike with my two-speed acoustic Brompton
1:00:32 + YOUNG WOMAN ON EBIKE SHOWS HOW TO MERGE INTO RIGHT LANE TO PREPARE FOR RIGHT TURN
1:02:08 O Entering La Puerta de l'Alcalá glorieta (traffic circle)
1:02:52 + Conversation with cyclist in Spanish about bike system in Madrid and his ebike; says 30 km/h e-assist limit (should be 25 km/h)
1:04:43 + Incredible architecture! Wow, wow!
1:06:15 O I don't notice that for some reason there are TWO bus lanes here and 30 bike lane is on my left
1:07:27 - lots of congestion with buses; not easy to filter forward
1:09:26 O Entering la Puerta del Sol pedestrian space; sign says to walk bike when high density of pedestrians
1:09:50 La Puerta del Sol hybrid pedestrian/vehicle space
1:10:23 Dutch tourists (mostly women) preparing for bike tour of Madrid with Trixi Bicycle Tours
1:13:41 O Interview with Stuart food delivery man using e-scooter (in Spanish)
1:17:19 O Leaving la Puerta del Sol
1:18:20 + Contraflow bike lane
1:19:27 O NARRATION: Attitudes in Madrid to traffic laws, speed limits, cyclists and pedestrians
1:20:58 - my confusion concerning near- and far-side traffic signals--only near-side count in Europe
1:22:53 O Left turn into my Airbnb neighborhood, La Latina with cobblestones