Toll road numbers plummet

THE Alicante ring road has had the lowest level of usage since its opening and the AP-7 the least in a decade. Last year, traffic on Alicante Province’s toll roads fell by five per cent against 2009 figures which had already dropped 15 per cent against the previous year. The drop is mainly on Alicante’s second ring road between El Campello and Elche, according to the Ministry of Development.

Heavy vehicle traffic accounted for less than six per cent of the total, indicating that most of the trucks that might use this road are likely opting for the A-70.

There was a nine per cent reduction of traffic on the stretch of the AP-7 from Crevillent to Cartagena between January and September last year, with an average of only 17,709 vehicles using it each day.

The greatest decline in traffic was on the Alicante to Valencia coastal motorway, especially during the usually busy summer months. In August last year only 35,183 vehicles used the road compared to 38,395 in August 2009, and 42,232 in 2008.

The number of vehicles using the toll roads has not been this low since 2000.