With the arrival of good weather, motorhomes once again take center stage on the roads on weekends, displaying the weight of the sector. More than 30,000 registered vehicles throughout Spain and a total of 200,000 copies belonging to foreign tourists who come to our country every year attest to this.
On March 5th, the motorhomes took on greater prominence in a protest act. Nearly 150 motorhome drivers summoned by the Catalunya Acavança association carried out a slow march between Cunit beach (Tarragona) and Gavà (Barcelona). The reason for the protest was to claim the right to park and spend the night in the streets of Catalan cities, contrary to what the municipal ordinances of most of them have.
In the absence of a specific regulation, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) published an instruction to compile the regulatory aspects related to motorhomes. Among other considerations, the instruction establishes that circulation, stopping and parking are governed by the rules generally applicable to all vehicles.
Therefore, motorhomes can park on public roads, but not camp, that is, carry out activities in its surroundings. The regulations also allow sleeping inside the vehicle. To do this, Tráfico establishes that the vehicle meets three conditions: that it is correctly parked, that it has up-to-date taxes and that the obligatory insurance is in order.
Motorhomes complain that the municipalities prohibit them from parking and spending the night on the street. They accept what the Traffic instruction says in the sense that motorhomes have the same consideration as a car in terms of parking. But in practice, an instruction is a dead letter before a municipal ordinance that regulates the use of public space.
“An instruction does not have the force of law and, as its name indicates, it is a set of guidelines given to public officials to prepare a regulation. This regulation is the one that always prevails”, indicates Paloma García, head of Transportes de Dvuelta.
Dvuelta's legal spokesperson recalls that, as indicated by the Traffic Law, it is up to the municipalities to regulate the uses of urban roads. “What the municipal ordinances establish is what must be complied with. For example, they can indicate that you can park on the street as long as the vehicle does not hinder traffic. For this reason they can establish that motorhomes should not park on a narrow street”.
According to DGT instruction 08/V-74, motorhomes can park "under the same conditions and with the same limitations as any other vehicle". Therefore, if municipal ordinances do not establish otherwise, motorhomes can park in designated areas on urban or interurban public roads, in accordance with traffic and circulation regulations, under the same conditions as other cars.
In order not to contravene the rule, a series of considerations must be taken into account. It is not allowed to exceed the road markings delimiting the square and the perimeter of the vehicle itself must be respected. In other words, the regulations prevent opening windows, deploying awnings or taking out camping items.
Also, it should be remembered that the motorhome has to be in contact with the ground through the wheels. Chocks will only be allowed if the motorhome is parked on a slope. In addition, it is not allowed to pour liquids outside -it prevents showering- or making annoying noises.
Spending the night inside the caravan parked on the street is allowed as long as the conditions set out in the regulations are met. First of all, you have to make sure that there is no prohibition or restriction to park the vehicle or exceed its limits and comply with the rules that apply to parking a motorhome. It is allowed to open skylights or raise the pop-up roofs, since they do not exceed the perimeter of the vehicle.
The motorhome associations recommend extreme security measures to spend the night inside the car. They advise looking for specific areas for motorhomes and if it is not possible to choose illuminated places that provide a greater sense of security. They also indicate that it is preferable to find a place to spend the night before nightfall to check the environmental conditions and protect the doors with security locks.
The action of camping refers to occupying outdoor spaces, outside the motorhome, deploying awnings, opening folding windows that increase the perimeter of the vehicle, as well as removing tables and chairs. It is also not allowed to pour liquids outside the vehicle. In other words: free camping is prohibited in Spain and is sanctioned with a large economic fine, which varies depending on each municipality. For example, camping in the protected area of the Ebro Delta, the fine can reach 6,000 euros.
You can only camp in designated places. Town halls tend to set up specific areas and in most cases establish time limits of 24 or 48 hours. Another option is to reserve a pitch at a motorhome campsite.
