- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS:
Spanish News Today
Alicante Today
Andalucia Today
Date Published: 10/07/2025
Spain considers making carpooling mandatory in busy areas
The DGT plans to implement a new series of measures to alleviate traffic congestion in some cities

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) in Spain is pushing forward with a drastic and highly controversial set of measures designed to cut down on traffic clogging up city streets, particularly in major urban centres like Madrid.
The headline proposal from the traffic authorities is enforcing a two-person minimum per car in big cities, taking a page from European HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane policies that have worked elsewhere.
But that's just the beginning of what could be a complete overhaul of how we think about driving in Spain.
This carpooling strategy is also accompanied by various proposals that are still under review, such as limiting households to just one car each and charging non-residents €1 per day to drive on certain Spanish roads. These radical ideas might sound strangely familiar, as some of them are already being tested out in the Balearic Islands.
What's actually being proposed?
The Balearic Islands are already leading the charge when it comes to tackling traffic congestion, especially during the summer tourist madness. Formentera and Ibiza are planning to hit non-resident drivers with a €1 daily fee, plus time restrictions and access controls to keep traffic manageable.
But Mallorca is going even further. The island is looking at implementing charges similar to those in Ibiza, but with much steeper prices. At the moment, they’re talking about fees ranging from €35 to €150 depending on how much your car pollutes. That's going to make people think twice about their driving habits.
Interestingly, the idea of limiting each household to just one car didn't actually come from the DGT. The Balearic government came up with this one themselves because they're genuinely worried about the sheer number of daily commutes. Under their plan, each household would only be allowed one registered vehicle, with exceptions for emergencies, people with mobility issues and long-term island residents.
The DGT's push for HOV lane usage is probably the most technically challenging part of all this. Pere Navarro's team is apparently studying how to use sensors or cameras to detect whether there are actually two or more people in a car, similar to systems already working in France.
The technology exists, but rolling it out across Spain's major cities is going to be a massive undertaking. Right now, it's all still in the planning stages and nobody's giving any concrete dates for when we might actually see these systems in action.
But if these measures do actually go ahead, driving in Spain is going to look very different. City drivers will need to start thinking about carpooling as a necessity rather than a choice, and tourists and non-residents will face new costs that could add up quickly over longer stays.
Find all the latest motoring and travel news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates
Image: Freepik
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Murcia Today: Editorial 000 000 000 /
Office 000 000 000