Editor’s note: This article was first published in October 2010 as a short news and opinion piece about municipal bylaws and fines in Spain at that time. The rules and amounts may have changed since.
A while ago we wrote about what looked like blatant revenue-raising measures by the government. Now it’s the turn of Spain’s city councils, which aren’t about to be outdone. Each council has set its own rules for fining people for just about anything. Once you’ve read this, one thing will be clear: “If you step outside, you get fined.”
We’re talking about fines ranging from €300 to €6,000, and in some cases the “rate” can go even higher.
Let’s start with Málaga City Council, which can fine you for crossing the street 30 cm away from the pedestrian crossing, not to mention how much crossing on a red light can cost you. All right, that’s still within normal limits, even if it’s going way overboard (“pasándose tres pueblos”, as someone from Málaga would put it).
They have also passed a “decree” that bans you from queueing for the bus outside the bus shelter. This is no joke.
Next up are the measures taken by the councils of Madrid, Granada, Valencia and a few other provinces:
- No talking in groups on the pavement, because you’re obstructing pedestrian traffic.
- No running on the pavement.
- No roller skates or skateboards outside a park.
- No lying down on a park bench.
- No lying down on the grass in a park.
- A fine of up to €300 for dropping a piece of paper or a cigarette butt in the street.
- And so on…
- And so on…
It would have been quicker if they’d told us what we’re allowed to do instead of what’s forbidden. According to the “official spokespeople”, all of this is meant to educate society. These measures are going to stir up huge controversy, because I think every Spaniard knows this is a blatant revenue grab. But oh well, we’ll just have to keep swallowing it.
Featured image: Daniel Capilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
