Traffic on Spain’s toll roads falls drastically

TRAFFIC levels on toll motorways in Spain have fallen to levels seen 14 years ago.

Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2007, levels have fallen 27 per cent to a daily average of 15,775 vehicles according to the Ministry of Public Works. Six years ago, the daily average was 22,454, which has led many of the companies which manage the toll motorways to the brink of bankruptcy.

There are now 1,706 kilometres of toll motorways in Spain, which saw traffic levels fall in the first six months of this year by 8.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2011, and this trend is expected to continue and even worsen, mainly due to the rise in

VAT in September and the rise in the price of toll fees. The average number of heavy vehicles such as buses and lorries has been even worse, reaching levels seen 19 years ago of around 2,234 per day on average and falling 9.7 per cent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. The maximum average of 3,985 vehicles was reached in 2002.