Can motorbikes now use the hard shoulder on Tenerife?
A new rule for motorbikes in traffic jams has applied across Spain since 1 October 2026. It is set out in Real Decreto 518/2026 of 24 June 2026, which the BOE (Spain’s official state gazette) published on 26 June.
The reports of 8 November about an official go-ahead therefore describe a rule that is just over five months old. Nothing about it is new for Tenerife, because it applies nationwide and not only on the island.
It is not a general permission, not even for rental motorbikes in the south. Without a signed, approved stretch, the hard shoulder stays off limits to motorbikes.
The research found no announcement from the Cabildo (island government), the Canarian government or the DGT (Spain’s traffic authority) approving any stretch on Tenerife. Anyone stuck in a jam on the TF-1 or TF-5 therefore stays in the lane for now.
What conditions apply to riding on the hard shoulder?
The DGT allows motorbikes on the right-hand hard shoulder in a jam at up to 30 km/h, on stretches signed in advance. Its statement of 30 September 2026 announced that the reform would apply the next day.
Trade media list five conditions that must all be met, and the research could not read the BOE text itself. First, the road owner must have agreed the stretch with the competent traffic authority and fitted fixed signs and markings.
The traffic lanes must be at a standstill because of the jam, as slow-moving or heavy traffic is not enough. The motorbike rides in single file at no more than 30 km/h and with extreme care.
Cyclists, mopeds and vehicles that have to use the hard shoulder have priority. According to reports, the motorbike must leave at once when needed, for example to let emergency vehicles through.
What does a breach cost?
Trade media quote 200 euros for riders who use the hard shoulder outside approved stretches. The classification as a serious offence comes from the same reports, and the DGT mentions neither fines nor points in its statement.
The picture is not clear-cut, as another analysis of the BOE text says the decree sets no new amount. Under that reading the general penalty rules of Spain’s traffic law (Ley sobre Tráfico) apply, and the 200 euros remain a second-hand figure.
One report mentions a cut to 100 euros for quick payment, which is 50% within 20 days. Sources contradict each other on licence points, and the research found no official confirmation of either.
According to the DGT, gloves are compulsory on country roads and closed shoes on all types of road. Headlines link 200 euros to missing gloves, but the research could not confirm an official amount for that.
What changes for drivers, and what is the accident picture?
According to one report, drivers are to pay 200 euros if they fail to make room for motorbikes on approved stretches. The research could not check that figure in the BOE text, and motorbikes on the right are only to be expected where signs allow it.
From January to July 2026, 16 motorcyclists died in the Canary Islands, against 20 a year earlier. That comes from a compilation by AIPSEV, built from DGT data, the 112 emergency line and the press, and 10 of the 16 deaths were on Tenerife.
The number of all road deaths stayed at 45 in both periods, 23 of them on Tenerife. AIPSEV counted 135 injured motorcyclists, 34 fewer than a year earlier.
Road safety expert Bernardo Hernández told the broadcaster Televisión Canaria that 22 motorcyclists had died in the Canary Islands since the start of the year. He gave no cut-off date, so the figure cannot be compared with the 16, and he said motorcyclists face a risk twelve times higher than car occupants.
What is still open, and what comes next?
According to reports, the traffic authority of each area decides which stretches open, together with the road owner. For Tenerife there is no statement from the Cabildo, the Canarian government or the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico (provincial traffic office).
Catalonia has decided against opening any stretches. Ramon Lamiel, director of the Servei Català de Trànsit, cited road safety in an interview, and according to the report about 50 motorcyclists die there every year.
In April 2026 the Cabildo and the DGT agreed express tow trucks and more monitoring for the TF-5. That has nothing to do with motorbikes on the hard shoulder.
No authority has yet given a start date or a list of stretches. Anyone renting or riding a motorbike should follow the signs, because where there is none, the old ban applies.