The new traffic signs reflect the social, technological, and mobility changes experienced over the last two decades. F. P.

These are the new traffic signs approved by the DGT

Patxi Fernández

Miércoles, 11 de junio 2025, 13:01

The Council of Ministers has approved the update of the official traffic sign catalogue, a measure driven by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) to adapt road signage to the profound social, technological, and mobility changes experienced in Spain. The aim is to create a unified catalogue that enhances understanding and coherence across the national territory.

The new regulation incorporates new signs designed to regulate emerging modes of transport, such as personal mobility vehicles (PMVs), and to address current traffic situations.

Additionally, pictograms have been redesigned, the visibility of existing signs has been improved, and obsolete ones have been removed. A notable aspect of this renewal is the special attention given to sustainability and the use of inclusive visual language.

The reform aims for the road signage system to convey clear, direct, and universally understandable messages. Beyond updating the design or graphic details of the signs, it ensures that the message received and interpreted by drivers, pedestrians, and other users complies with the principles of an effective semiotic system in line with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. This update will allow for better understanding by users and greater coherence across the national territory.

The Royal Decree will come into force on July 1, 2025. However, the physical change of signs on the roads will be carried out progressively over time. It is important to note that the new signs will not be immediately included in theoretical driving exams. This measure aims to provide sufficient time to update driving school manuals and facilitate the preparation of future drivers.

Sign S-70:

Indicates the merging of a lane onto the road, warning drivers of a reduction in the number of lanes.

Sign P-35:

Warning sign indicating a weaving lane, where lanes change direction.

Sign S-14:

Indication sign informing about the existence of underpasses or overpasses for pedestrians.

Sign P-24:

Warning sign indicating the presence of wild animals.

Sign P-21a:

School zone warning sign.

Sign P-21b:

Warning sign for an area frequented by the elderly.

Sign P-8:

Sign indicating proximity to an unguarded level crossing.

Sign R-118:

Prohibition of access to personal mobility vehicles. (This is a new sign and affects all PMVs, not just scooters).

Sign R-120:

Entry prohibited to vehicles based on environmental badge or other environmental criteria. Prohibition of access to vehicles based on their environmental badge or other established environmental criteria. Conditions will be specified on a complementary S-860 panel or a sign including the signal, referring to the classification of each vehicle based on its environmental badge, as established by regulation.

The reform of the General Traffic Regulations, carried out with the collaboration of the Ministries of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Industry and Tourism, and Defence, revises Title IV of the regulation, concerning vertical signage, work and beaconing signage, agent signage, circumstantial signage, or traffic lights, and consolidates an official catalogue of traffic signs and road markings that unifies the shape, symbols, and nomenclature of all indicators.

Among the main changes is the modification of the design and definition of numerous signage elements, including vertical signs, road markings, and a specific clarification of circumstantial signage. New signs are also introduced to meet current demands, and those that have become obsolete or are no longer covered by recent regulations are removed.

Sign S-1c:

2+1 Road. Indicates the beginning of a 2+1 road, which consists of three traffic lanes and allows traffic in both directions. The central lane is intended to facilitate overtaking, being alternately reserved for one direction of traffic and then the other. This sign may also indicate the branch of a junction leading to a 2+1 road.

Sign S-47:

Coexistence zone. Indicates a traffic area primarily intended for pedestrians, where the following special traffic rules apply: the maximum vehicle speed is 20 km/h; traffic is shared between vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians; pedestrians have priority and can use the entire traffic area, so pedestrian crossings are not marked; bicycles and, where applicable, PMVs can travel in both directions unless otherwise specified by the competent authority; vehicles can only park in designated areas; games and sports are not allowed.

Sign S-51 b:

Lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles. Indicates one or more lanes exclusively for high-occupancy vehicles. The image will show the number of people considered high occupancy, determined by the competent managing body in each case. If the lane or lanes are reserved not only for HOVs but also for other specific types of vehicles, the corresponding images may be combined in the same way as in sign S-51a.

Sign S-63b:

Bifurcation on three-lane roads. Indicates, on a road with three lanes in the same direction, that a bifurcation will occur in the central lane with a change of direction of the four resulting lanes, two to the left and two to the right. (It is similar to a whole series of signs – from S-60 to S-63 – that aim to better inform how the road bifurcations are so that drivers can position themselves in advance in the most suitable lane for their destination).

The modifications aim to align the regulation with the Traffic Law, improve the understanding and visibility of signs, modernize pictograms such as those for railways or bicycles, and better respond to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.

Sign S-105 (a-f):

Indicates the location of a fuel dispenser or service station, including LPG (S-105 c), electric charging (S-105e), or several of them (S-105b, S-105d, or S-105f).

Sign S-940:

Speed limits in Spain. Indicates the generic speed limits on different types of roads and in urban areas in Spain.

Sign S-991g:

Speed control by aerial means. Indicates the possible presence of speed controls in the section by aerial means, such as helicopter or drone. If these controls target a specific type of vehicle, the sign may include only the corresponding vehicle pictogram.

Additionally, sizes are adjusted to promote more efficient and sustainable manufacturing, information at service stations is expanded with new types of fuels, more detailed parking signs are incorporated, and others are modified due to the humanization work being carried out in many municipalities.

Another notable aspect is the removal of gender connotations in the symbolism to promote a more inclusive visual language. This proposal improves the regulatory structure by reserving a brief mention of the typology of signs in the general wording and developing in Annex I all the details on shape, colour, design, meaning, and dimensions along with the new catalogue, which visually and orderly collects all vertical signs and road markings.

Furthermore, the Ministries of the Interior and Transport and Sustainable Mobility may, through a joint ministerial order, modify, eliminate, or incorporate new signs into the official catalogue, allowing for a more agile and effective adaptation of the signage system to future needs.