Home SECTION II ABOUT THE MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES CHAPTER I POSITION ON THE ROAD SECTION 2 USE OF LANES Article 35 Use of lanes according to the speed indicated and those reserved for certain vehicles and certain manoeuvres

Article 35 Use of lanes according to the speed indicated and those reserved for certain vehicles and certain manoeuvres

by Mark Nolan

1. The use of the lanes according to speed and those reserved for certain vehicles and certain manoeuvres will be adjusted to what is indicated by the corresponding signals in this regulation.

2. High occupancy vehicles will be understood to be those exclusively designed for the transport of persons, whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kilograms, which are occupied by the number of people who, for each section of the road network, are in accordance with paragraph d) of this section. The use of lanes for vehicles with high occupancy (HOV) will be based on the following:

A) The use of the lane indicated for HOV is limited to motorcycles, passenger cars and adaptable mixed vehicles, and is therefore forbidden to other vehicles and groups of vehicles, including passenger cars with trailers, pedestrians, cycles , mopeds, animal drawn vehicles and animals.

The lanes for HOV may be used by vehicles authorised in accordance with the previous paragraph, even if only occupied by its driver, if the vehicle bears the V-15 signal,  by buses with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3,500 kilograms and articulated buses, regardless of the number of occupants, under the conditions established for the HOV, simultaneously if so indicated in the list of sections referred to in paragraph d).

B) The authorisation or reservation of one or more lanes for the use of HOV may be permanent or temporary, with fixed hours or depending on the state of traffic, as established by the autonomous Central Jefatura de Tráfico or, where appropriate, the autonomous or local authority responsible for traffic regulation, who, in unusual circumstances and for reasons of road safety or traffic flow, may allow, recommend or order other vehicles to use the lane reserved for those, all of which without prejudice to the powers of the organisations in charge of the roads and, where appropriate, of their concessionaire companies.

C) Police, fire, civil protection, rescue and medical assistance vehicles providing an emergency service, as well as equipment for maintenance of the facilities and infrastructure of the road, may use the reserved lanes.

D) The autonomous body Central Traffic Headquarters or, where appropriate, the regional or local authority responsible for regulating traffic, following a binding report from the body responsible for the road, will determine the sections of the road network in which lanes will be reserved for HOV, they will set the conditions of use and will publish, in the manner indicated in article 39.4, the list of sections of the road network in which said lanes are enabled.

High occupancy vehicle (HOV) is understood to mean those vehicles exclusively intended for the transport of persons, whose weight does not exceed 3,500 kg and which are occupied by a minimum number of persons determined by the competent authority according to the traffic circumstances.

3. Infractions to the rules established in section 2 regarding traffic in the opposite direction to that established shall be considered very serious.

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