Betanzos restricts traffic in the historic center with cameras and residents only

The Betanzos City Council has definitively approved the declaration of a restricted access zone to the City’s Historic Center, with a traffic control video camera system and circulation and parking limits reserved for accredited residents, emergency services, and taxis. The agreement was adopted by the Local Government Board in the ordinary session on Thursday, July 9, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña (BOP) number 197, dated October 15, 2026, under announcement number 2026/6565.

The measure is framed within the Municipal Ordinance of Traffic, Circulation, and Road Safety of the Betanzos City Council, which already allows transit in the city’s Old Town for thirty minutes from the signaled entrance to the signaled exit, with the possibility of stopping or parking in designated areas and a specific schedule for the loading and unloading of goods. The processed files are 2025/X999/000336 and 2024/C005/000005.

The Government Board’s agreement includes six points: authorizing the installation of video cameras according to ANNEX II, implementing security measures to preserve the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of the recordings, including the processing of these in the processing activities register, assigning the mayor’s office the resolution of requests regarding the recorded footage, and definitively approving the restricted zone under the conditions of ANNEX I. The announcement is published in the BOP and on the municipal electronic headquarters in application of article 83 of Law 39/2015.

Circulation rules inside the center

• Maximum speed of 20 km/h and circulation at the speed of pedestrians.
• Permanent priority of pedestrians over any vehicle, except for emergency services with light or sound indicators activated.
• Prohibition of parking on any of the restricted access roads, except in expressly designated spaces.
• Prohibition of access for vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3,500 kg, unless expressly authorized.
• Prohibition signage at all entrances, on a panel indicating camera control.

Vehicle owners not included in the list will have 48 hours to justify to the Local Police, in person or electronically, the incidents and the reasons why they violated the limitations.

Authorized users and procedures

The following may access the pedestrian zones beyond the thirty minutes:

• Users of garages located within pedestrian zones.
• Residents and owners in pedestrian zones.
• Persons with recognized disabilities and reduced mobility, whether residents or not.
• Natural persons authorized for the transport of persons with reduced mobility.
• Caregivers of minors and seniors with justification of need.
• Public emergency services and municipal public services.
• Taxis and VTCs.
• Construction companies with works in pedestrian zones.
• Loading and unloading of goods, from 07:00 to 12:00 and from 16:00 to 17:00.
• Motorcycles, which may park in the delimited area in Praza de Galicia on weekends.

The mayor’s office may authorize other cases not contemplated, provided that the need for circulation is proven through the appropriate reports. The authorization is processed at the General Registry of the City Council or in the places provided for in article 16 of Law 39/2015, with the documentation required in each case, and the deadline to resolve and notify the resolution is one month. The City Council will prepare a list of authorized vehicles based on the municipal census, with a validity of ten years.

Video surveillance and application calendar

The control of entry and circulation will be carried out with a video surveillance system with license plate reading, and the attached map specifies the delimitation of the center and the location of the cameras. Between October 1 and December 31, 2026, there will be a pedagogical grace period of three months in duration; the full effectiveness of the sanctioning phase and road discipline begins on January 1, 2027. The announcement is dated Betanzos, September 28, 2026, and bears the signature of the mayor, María Barral Varela.

The restriction directly affects neighbors, merchants, and visitors of the historic center, who must prove their status to circulate or park and adapt their routes to the controlled access points. The pedagogical period until December 31 provides a margin to request authorizations and regularize situations before the cameras begin to issue sanctions.

Source: BOP, no. 197, October 15, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 1-8 (official reference: 2026/6565).