Lights always on scooters, compulsory helmets for bikes, gloves on motorcycles and goodbye to parking at pedestrian crossings: this is how the DGT is changing traffic in Barcelona.

The Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) is preparing one of the most important reforms of recent years in the General Traffic Regulations. After more than four years of work and drafts, the text that will change the way we move is in its final phase of ministerial processing, with an expected date of entry into force: January 2, 2026. The primary objective of the reform is to improve the safety of the most vulnerable groups on the asphalt: pedestrians, cyclists and scooter and motorcycle riders.

The changes will directly affect the daily circulation in cities like Barcelona and will affect all sectors: from cab drivers to scooter or motorcycle drivers. We tell you the most important changes so that you will not be caught by surprise next January.

Mandatory lights on scooters

Among the most important new features, electric scooters (VMP) will have to always ride with the lights on, even during the day (although this measure will have a one-year moratorium after the regulation comes into force).

In addition, a historic exemption is coming to an end: cab drivers, delivery drivers and driving school teachers will be obliged to wear seat belts when driving in the city.

Riders using motorcycles, bicycles or scooters will also have to wear a reflective vest on the road, not only on urban roads.

News for motorcycles and bicycles

The final text brings significant changes for two-wheeled vehicles. Motorcyclists will not be obliged to wear full-face helmets, but they will be required to be “properly fastened”. What will be mandatory is the use of protective gloves and “closed footwear”.

For cyclists, it is confirmed that they will be able to circulate “in columns of two” on the shoulder. However, one of the most controversial measures is the elimination of the exemption to wear helmets for “serious medical reasons”, which until now allowed some people to ride without them with a certificate. This obligation is extended to motorcyclists and moped drivers.

Safer overtaking and parking

The reform introduces a crucial new rule for the road: to overtake a vehicle immobilized on the road (due to a breakdown or emergency), it will be compulsory to reduce speed to at least 20 km/h below the road limit and maintain a lateral distance of 1.5 meters, even if this means invading the oncoming lane.

Finally, and with great impact on cities, stopping and parking vehicles in the vicinity of crosswalks is prohibited, as they hinder visibility. City councils, such as that of Barcelona, will have two years to adapt their ordinances to this new rule.