'Moure's amb bici' just became alot more unattractive

Barcelona's recently announced reign of terror against well-meaning cyclists makes one wonder what all the hoopla was around their early summer BCN bici campaign. Among the draconian new policing measures (in a city with universally inadequate bike lanes and safety measures in place for cyclists—Christ, have you ever tried crossing a zebra striped crosswalk in this city?) that go in effect this week include a dizzying array of exorbitant fines. For example:

Incorrect parking: 30 Euros
Riding outside of bike lane (even though many roads do not have them): 30 Euros
Talking on cell phone: 30 Euros (well, I kind of have to agree with this one—and yet, what is the fine for the driver of a car or motorcycle, ubiquitous around the city, for same infraction?)
Incorrect parking that impedes pedestrian traffic: 98 Euros (plus your bike is impounded)
Cross a road when the light is red, even if there's not a soul in sight: 100 Euros
Cross a road when the light is red and imperil another biker, driver, or pedestrian: 120 Euros
Bike not equipped with a bell: 30 Euros
Bike not equipped with a light (even if you only ride during the day): 30 Euros

As the folks at Amics de la Bici de Barcelona here note, there are many places in the city where there are no bike lanes. And in places such as Rambla de Catalunya, NOT taking to the sidewalk (instead of the narrow and bus-busy 2-lane passage way is tantamount to taking your own life in your hands. What's more, there are still many places throughout the city where the only place to lock up one's bike is a sign post, a park bench or some other now criminalizable edifice.

As José Cervantes summed it up in today's paper, "Con tanta norma, andar en bicicleta dejará de ser atractivo." Cervantes says if biking becomes too much of a hassle, he'll simply drive his car—and park in a garage space he has in the center of town. Funny, wasn't this exactly the type of thing the wise Ayuntamiento was trying to discourage, mere weeks ago?