With more and more people choosing to hire a car, a scooter or a bike to discover Lanzarote, we thought it would be a good time to explain how the road system works here.
Main Roads
There are only three main roads in Lanzarote – the LZ1, LZ2 and LZ3.
LZ1 is 32 KM long and runs from Arrecife to Orzola.
LZ2 is 37 KM long and runs from Arrecife to Playa Blanca.
LZ3 is only 5.6 KM long and is the Circunvalacion, or Arrecife ring road.
The first two are “Red” and the last is a “Blue” road, so officially a motorway.
In theory LZ3 should have a speed limit of 120 KPH, and it did when it first opened, but it was changed as it was felt it was too fast, so all three have the standard inter urban speed limit of 90 KPH, unless you see signs mandating a lower limit and in many cases they are limited to 80 KPH.
Secondary Roads
There are 11 of these “Green” roads in total, and they have two digit numbers, for example, LZ10 or LZ56. Some are quite long, for example LZ67 which runs from La Santa to Yaiza is 24 KM long, and some are very short, for example the 2.2 KM LZ14 from Los Marmoles to Las Caletas.
Speed limits on secondaries are signposted, but in urban areas there are specific ones: 50 KPH on two lane roads, 30 KPH on single lane roads, and 20KPH on those without pavements.
Minor Roads
These are “Yellow” and there are 34 of them, with three digit numbers like LZ207 and LZ704.
Speed limits are signposted and the urban rules apply as they do on secondaries.
Maintenance
None of the island’s roads are classified as “State,” so they are maintained by each local municipality, often with financial support from The Cabildo of Lanzarote. That’s why, when moving from one municipality to the next, you’ll feel a change in the surface.
Caminos
We also have dozens of off road tracks, which are often called Caminos. It should be noted that most car hire companies do not allow you to go off road.
Important Rules
We have some important road rules here, which need to be noted:
- You must stop at stop signs, even if the way looks clear
- You must not cross a solid white line, even to park
- You must park in the correct direction of travel so your rear reflectors are facing the right way
- You must give way to traffic on main roads coming up a slip road, stopping if there is no gap
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