15 million car journeys expected during Easter week
The national organisation in charge of traffic in Spain (La Dirección General de Tráfico – DGT) will put into place a their special operation for Easter week today. They predict that up to 15 million car journeys will be made during this busy period. The objectives of the operation which will last until 9th April are to ensure that safety on the roads and the flow of traffic is maintained.
Pere Navarro also indicated that it was the first time that Easter week had occurred with the new driving license points system in place together with 317 speed control radars throughout the country. It is hoped that both these factors will help reduce the number of people killed on the roads – during the same period last year 110 people died as a result of car accidents.
According to information from DGT, the Easter week operation will be divided into two phases. The first phase starts today and ends this Sunday 1st April.
The second phase will start at midday next Wednesday and ends at midnight on Monday 9th April. Traffic have warned drivers that the busiest times on the road will be Wednesday 4th April and Thursday 5th April.
DGT have launched a campaign with advertisements using the slogan ‘There are many reasons not to kill yourself during Easter week – choose your own’. The advertisement ends with the sentence ‘Don’t kill yourself at Easter’. The idea behind it is for each individual driver to react and to encourage them to respect traffic regulations. In addition, the campaign this year is aimed at children to encourage them to form good habits while travelling.
Drivers will be able to see overhead panels with the following message – ‘In a hurry? 110 deaths during Easter week last year. Don’t lose points during Easter week.
Returning is the most important thing.’
Extra lanes will be in place on the A-3 between Madrid and Saelices, Villasviejas and Villares del Saz and between La Almarcha and Atalaya del Cañavate. There will also be extra lanes on the A-4 between Ocaña and Tembleque; Almuradiel and Santa Elena; Bailén and La Carolina. Other roads with extra lanes are the A-5 between Madrid and Talavera de la Reina; the A-42 between Madrid and Yuncos; the A-1 between Alcobendas and La Cabrera; and the A-6 between Las Rozas and Villalba. There will also be restrictions on lorries carrying dangerous loads on some routes during set periods.
There is a free telephone number (900 123 505) or a webpage http://www.dgt.es for up to date information on traffic jams, itineraries and for any other enquiries regarding the state of the roads during Easter week.
Related links:
Roads in Spain
Driving in Spain
New driving laws in Spain
Penalty points driving licence system in Spain
