SPECIAL CASES FOR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND USE OF CARRIAGEWAYS, LANES AND THE HARD SHOULDER

Article 37. Special arrangements for traffic for safety reasons or traffic flow.
1. For reasons of safety or traffic flow, the competent authority may order other directions of travel, the total or partial prohibition of access to parts of the road, either generally, or for certain vehicles or users, the closure of certain roads, the obligatory use of certain routes or the use of the hard shoulder or lanes as a ‘contraflow’ (LST Art 16,1).
2. To avoid traffic delays restrictions or limitations on certain vehicles may be imposed and on certain roads will be obligatory for the affected users (LST Art 16,2).
3. Closure to traffic of a road subject to the LST will be only made in exceptional cases and must be specifically authorized by the relevant Jefatura Central de Tráfico or competent authority, unless it is caused by the state of the road or roadworks; in which case the authorization will be issued by the road owner, and must consider, whenever possible, use of an alternative itinerary and its signaling. Closing and opening to traffic must be executed in any case by traffic officers or personnel of the responsible authority. The competent authorities referred to that authorize the closure to traffic of a highway will communicate said act.
4. The relevant authority can impose restrictions or limitations on traffic for reasons of road safety or traffic flow at the request of the road owner or other organizations, such as toll operators, and are required to signal the corresponding alternative itinerary fixed by the traffic authority.
5. Driving against the signalled traffic flow is a very serious offence (LST Art 65.5.f)).
Driving without the corresponding authorization on roads subject to restrictions or limitations imposed for reasons of road safety or traffic flow is an offence (LST Art 67,2).