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A Spanish intersection has a pole that houses both traffic lights and road signage.
Credit : Javier Ocampo Bernasconi, Shutterstock
Imagine walking down the high street of your town and seeing fewer obstructions, poles, and clutter. Spain’s Traffic Authority is currently talking about this.
The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has put forward a striking – and slightly unusual – idea: combining Traffic lightsStreet lamps, road signs, and even litter bins can be incorporated into a single vertical construction. All in one.
This is not a confirmed update. It won’t happen tomorrow. It’s not going to happen tomorrow.
Why the DGT believes that Pavements are Too Cluttered
Pere Navar, the director of DGT shared this idea at a recent Road safety Event focused on pedestrians. And his reasoning is grounded in modern behavior.
According to Navarro, one in three pedestrians checks their mobile phone while walking – even when crossing at a zebra crossing. All of us have seen it. Heads down. Screens glow. Cars approaching.
Navarro said that instead of telling people to pay more attention, they should look at the environment. If there are many posts, poles, and street furniture on the pavement, it will only make things worse for distracted pedestrians.
What is his proposal? Create a single upright that combines several elements.
- Traffic lights
- street lighting
- Road signs
- and even bins
One pole, many functions
It would be a goal to make pedestrian crossings safer and clearer, particularly in urban areas.
Cost and practicality are also important.
There’s another side to this – and it’s not just about safety.
Navarro pointed to the fact that many cities contract for lighting, traffic signs, bins, and signage separately. Different tenders. Different budgets. Different maintenance schedules.
According to him, this system is inefficient and unnecessary expensive. A unified structure would simplify procurement and reduce duplication, while making maintenance easier for councils and central authority.
This is not just a small design change. It is a complete rethinking of the way urban infrastructures are organised.
The idea is still in a conceptual phase. A specific city has not been announced. There has been no announcement of a timeline for the implementation. As of now, this is a proposal that’s on the table.
The Spanish Cities are undergoing a larger shift
This suggestion fits in with a larger message that the DGT has been pushing over the past few years: Cities should prioritize people over private vehicles.
Navarro has previously spoken about limiting the presence of vehicles – including electric cars – in city centres, while encouraging public transport and shared mobility options.
When viewed in this context, the idea of a “single-pole” is not only about combining street furnishings. It’s about redesigning the public space keeping pedestrians in mind.
Pavements that are cleaner. Fewer obstacles. Simpler crossings.
It remains to be determined whether the proposal will gain traction or fade away quietly. The proposal has sparked discussion about a topic that many of us don’t often consider: how crowded our roads have become.
And next time you’re waiting at a crossing, phone in hand, you might find yourself looking around and wondering – do we really need quite so many poles?
