BarcelonaThe investment deficit in road network maintenance has increased from €9.453 billion in 2022 to €13.491 billion currently, according to calculations by the Spanish Road Association (AEC). Given these figures and the poor condition of some roads, such as the A2 between La Panadella and Cervera, which required emergency repairs on Friday after more than 20 vehicles suffered flat tires and car windows were broken by flying stones, the use of other road services is being considered. A user-pays system, which the Chamber argues should be applied to all high-performance roads in Spain, in accordance with the European Union's "user pays" and "polluter pays" principles, is being called for. The Chamber believes that the revenue from this user-pays system could guarantee the proper maintenance and improvement of the roads. However, the institution headed by Josep Santacreu makes it clear that the toll model "should be unique and equitable for the entire country," and its revenue should be allocated "exclusively to the improvement and digitization of the roads." The Chamber cites the Catalan example, where tolls were lifted in 2021, due to the end of the concession, on the AP-7, AP-2, C-32 North, and C-33, leading to a significant increase in traffic. In fact, the Chamber points out that the AP-7 "is already operating at its capacity limit," and in five years, the number of light vehicles has increased by 37% and the number of heavy vehicles by 55%. The result, according to the Chamber, is "congestion, accidents, and wear and tear on the infrastructure." It is worth recalling that the tragic train accident in Gelida, in which a train driver died, was caused by the collapse of a retaining wall on that highway.
The Chamber speaks of a deficit in road maintenance investment. According to the institution, compared to the deficit of almost 13,500 mentioned by AEC, the investment made by the various administrations (national, regional, and local) is around 2 billion euros annually. According to the Chamber, "more than half of the roads in Spain and Catalonia are in serious or very serious disrepair, while the effective annual investment in maintenance is clearly insufficient to reverse this situation."
Impact on competitiveness and safety
The Catalan institution indicates that without a stable funding model, the deterioration of the road network will continue to increase "with negative impacts on competitiveness, safety, and the mobility of people and goods." Furthermore, it recalls that in 2021, the Spanish government committed to the EU to establish a user-pays mechanism on state highways, which was to be implemented by 2024, although this commitment was later withdrawn, in agreement with Brussels, based on the incorporation of new measures to meet the environmental objectives of the Plan. According to the Chamber, any pricing model should be applied to the high-performance road network and alternative routes, regardless of ownership, throughout the entire country. It should apply to both heavy and light vehicles, with a variable rate depending on the vehicle and its emissions. The Chamber believes the most efficient model is payment based on distance traveled and, therefore, views the flat-rate vignette only as a temporary solution. Finally, the corporation advocates for a collaborative framework between different government bodies and between the public and private sectors to enable an orderly transition to this pay-per-use model.
Risk on high-capacity roads increases for the first time in 15 years
A 6-kilometer stretch of the N-340 highway in Mont-roig del Camp (Baix Camp) is the most dangerous on the Spanish national road network (RCE). Specifically, it has a risk index of 200.9, well above the second most dangerous road, in León, with 160.1, according to the iRAP study, published this Tuesday by the RACC (Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia). Another road that passes through the Tarragona region, the N-420, is the second in Spain with the most dangerous sections. The national average for dangerous sections is 12% of the kilometers, while in Catalonia it is 11%, totaling 201 km, but in the Girona region, 18% of the kilometers of the national network are dangerous.
The RACC has presented the 22nd edition of its risk map, based on the iRAP methodology, covering the three-year period 2022-2024. A total of 3,595 sections of the RCE (Spanish Road Network) were analyzed, representing 26,470 km in length. The overall risk index for the RCE has decreased between 2010 and 2024, falling from 15.3 to 6.4 on high-capacity roads (-58%) and from 47.7 to 24.4 on conventional roads (-49%). However, for the first time in 15 years, the risk index on high-capacity roads has increased compared to the previous edition of the report.
