Mobility and transport

Barcelona has around 10,000 bays reserved for loading and unloading operation. Most of these bays are found within the regulated parking areas.

These can be reserved for loading and unloading during regular hours on weekdays which is usually between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm. However, some loading and unloading bays may operate a special timetable. You need to consult the signs.

These bays are reserved for lorries, trucks and vans, vehicles derived from passenger cars and hybrid two-seater vehicles.

To park in the UGD Area, you first need electronic validation via the SPRO app or by sending a text message as indicated on the sign. The maximum authorised parking time in a UGD bay is 30 minutes. Vehicles classified as zero-emission vehicles can park for an additional 30 minutes.  For more information.

This validation is not required for loading and unloading bays that are not yet integrated into the UGD Area. However, the UGD Area is being progressively extended to cover all the loading and unloading bays in Barcelona not yet integrated.

In the case of some professional activities, specific conditions are offered. Check with your trade association.

Multi-use lanes have been introduced on some roads where loading and unloading operations can be carried out at certain times of the day.

The SPRO app offers predictive information on the availability of loading and unloading bays and it is being extended to cover other municipalities in the metropolitan area.

• Vehicles carrying out loading and unloading operations may not occupy, either partially or totally, pavements, platforms, promenades or zones with white stripes on the paving, garage entrances, or any other spaces where it is generally prohibited to park. In the case of motor cycles, bicycles and personal mobility vehicles, you need to consult the specific regulations on the occupation of pavements by these vehicles.
• Goods and objects should not be kept temporarily on the public highway.
• Operations should be carried out with caution, avoiding any unnecessary noise, and the spaces used should be left clean and tidy.
• The goods should be loaded and unloaded from the side of the vehicle closest to the pavement, using whatever means necessary to speed up the process and without blocking the way of pedestrians or vehicles.
• Loading and unloading operations should be carried out inside commercial and industrial premises in cases where the regulations require the use of internal loading and unloading bays, where the conditions on the premises permit this. 

• Bicycles, cycles and personal mobility vehicles used to transport goods linked to a commercial activity need to have civil liability insurance and be registered
• Cycles can be used on the roadway on all roads, while personal mobility vehicles used to carry goods cannot be used on roads where the permitted speed limit is over 30 km/h. They may only stop to load and unload goods on the pavement when the pavement is more than 4.75 metres wide and there is at least 3 metres of free space for accessing premises and shops. In parks, they are only permitted to access snack bars to load and unload goods.

• Generally speaking, vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 18 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 12 metres can be used on public highways with two or more traffic lanes and on the Ronda del Litoral ring road. Vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 44 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 16.5 metres can be driven on these roads between 11.00 pm and 5.00 am.
• Vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 44 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 16.5 metres can be driven on roads with two or more lanes in the area of influence of the Ronda del Litoral ring road, if they can show that their journey starts and ends in this area or in a number of municipalities in the Maresme and Baix Llobregat counties. They can also be driven in the Ronda de Dalt area if they can show that their journey starts or ends in that area. Otherwise, vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 18 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 12 metres can be driven on the Ronda Dalt. (See: https://bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat/jspui/bitstream/11703/128075/1/BOPB_Autorit_vehiclespesant_2022.pdf).
• Generally speaking, vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 12 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 10 metres can be driven on roads with a single traffic lane. Vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 18 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 12 metres can do so between the hours of 11.00 pm and 5.00 am.
• In special restriction zones (Annexe XI of the Traffic Byelaw):   
• Vehicles with a MAM equal to or less than 7.5 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 7 metres can be driven on roads with a single traffic lane.
• On roads with more than one traffic lane, the same conditions apply as in point 1 above.
• Some special vehicles such as tankers, pick-up trucks and pick-up truck support vehicles, car carrier trucks, refuse collection trucks, removal lorries, scaffold trucks, with a MAM equal to or less than 44 tonnes and a length equal to or less than 16.5 metres can drive on the Ronda de Dalt ring road, the Ronda del Litoral ring road and on roads with two or more traffic lanes.  They may drive on roads with a single traffic lane whenever this is essential for them to carry out their function.  They may drive in a special restriction zone provided they have a specific permit. In the case of car carrier trucks and vehicles that transport machinery, the applicable length is 20.55 metres rather than the 16.5 metres established for all other vehicles.
• Special permits may be awarded for certain vehicles that exceed the weight/length limits set

• Within the Barcelona Ring Road LEZ (low emission zone), which covers almost the entire municipal area of Barcelona (https://www.zbe.barcelona/zones-baixes-emissions/la-zbe.html), the use of vehicles without an environmental label is not permitted from 7.00 am and 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
• Special daily permits can be requested (maximum of 10 per year) and there is a moratorium for vans and lorries that are being replaced. For further details go to https://zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat/

To apply for a public highway occupation permit to reserve a space for loading and unloading materials for building works to complete said works, go here.

To get a permit to transport hazardous freight, you need to complete a form and send it to DS Mobilitat giving the following information:

1. Drivers authorised to transport the freight: full name and national ID (DNI).
2. Vehicles that will be used: MAM and registration number of the vehicles.
3. Route to be taken within the city of Barcelona.
4. Consignment note for the freight.
5. Dates on which the permit is required.