A familiar traffic light combination on Costa Blanca streets is about to disappear.
From Thursday 1 October, Spain is changing the rules for pedestrian crossings where drivers can currently see a flashing amber light at the same time as pedestrians get a green signal.
For drivers, there is no new traffic light colour to learn and flashing amber is certainly not disappearing. Instead, the change affects how vehicle and pedestrian lights work together at certain crossings.
What changes on 1 October?
You may have encountered the current arrangement at urban junctions around the Costa Blanca.
A driver turning at a junction can face a flashing amber light while pedestrians crossing the road have a green light. The driver can continue, but must take particular care and give way when necessary.
From 1 October, that combination will generally no longer be permitted.
The new regulation says that at pedestrian crossings with their own pedestrian signals, a flashing amber light for vehicles cannot, as a general rule, operate at the same time as a steady green light for pedestrians. The vehicle signal must instead be preceded by a steady red.
In practical terms, the change aims to separate vehicle and pedestrian movements more clearly at affected crossings.
Does flashing amber now mean stop?
No, and this is where some reports about the new rules have become confusing.
Spain is not changing the basic meaning of a flashing amber light.
A flashing amber still tells a driver to take extra care and give way where necessary. It also does not override another sign or signal requiring the vehicle to stop.
The change concerns the specific situation where flashing amber for traffic coincides with a steady green pedestrian signal.
It is also different from a steady amber light. The rules for that have not changed. Drivers must stop at a steady amber unless they are already so close that they cannot stop safely.
Why is Spain changing the system?
The measure forms part of Royal Decree 518/2026, approved in June as a wider overhaul of traffic rules aimed particularly at protecting vulnerable road users.
The government has updated several parts of the regulations covering pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of personal mobility vehicles, which include e-scooters.
At pedestrian crossings, the aim is to remove a situation where a motorist may have permission to continue cautiously while a pedestrian simultaneously has a green signal.
That is particularly relevant at urban junctions where vehicles turn across a pedestrian crossing.
What will Costa Blanca drivers notice?
The rule applies just as much in Alicante, Benidorm, Torrevieja, Denia or Orihuela as it does elsewhere in Spain.
However, it does not mean every traffic light on the Costa Blanca suddenly changes on 1 October.
Only crossings using the affected signal arrangement need to comply with the new rule. Local councils and other authorities responsible for the roads will need to ensure their traffic lights operate according to the amended regulations.
So there is no need for drivers to learn a new signal or change how they respond to ordinary red, amber and green lights.
The important date is 1 October. From then, the familiar sight of flashing amber for vehicles alongside a steady green pedestrian light should generally become a thing of the past.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Spain changes its traffic light regulations on Thursday 1 October.
- The change comes from Royal Decree 518/2026.
- It affects some pedestrian crossings where vehicle and pedestrian signals currently overlap.
- Flashing amber for vehicles generally cannot coincide with a steady green pedestrian light.
- Flashing amber itself is not being abolished.
- It will still mean drivers must take extra care and give way where necessary.
- The rules for a steady amber light have not changed.
- The new regulation applies across Spain, including the Costa Blanca.
