The AP-7, a nightmare for drivers that needs solutions

Early this morning, another accident occurred on the AP-7 motorway near L'Aldea (Baix Ebre), involving three trucks. One driver was killed, and another was seriously injured. As a result of the accident, the motorway, which runs from south to north across the country, was closed for hours, leaving thousands of drivers stranded. A similar incident occurred last weekend. A truck accident on Saturday afternoon caused a fuel spill, forcing traffic to be diverted onto the N-340 between L'Ampolla and L'Ametlla. Consequently, on Sunday afternoon, the AP-7 became a death trap for vehicles returning to Barcelona from the Valencian Community, turning a journey that should have taken two hours into a six-hour ordeal. The truth is, the AP-7 has recently become a nightmare for drivers, both northbound and southbound, where it's impossible to predict what might happen. This is to say nothing of the danger of driving on a supposedly fast road congested with trucks that, moreover, overtake each other, causing long queues and, occasionally, accidents like the one early this morning.

The elimination of tolls in 2021 was good news for many, but it has brought problems that are far from offsetting that initial benefit. Road maintenance is poor, especially in the section between Catalonia and the Valencian Community, with stretches where even the road markings are faded or barely visible. Restrictions on truck traffic are often ignored, and during major traffic jams like the one on Sunday afternoon, the absence of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) to direct traffic is sorely missed. The Catalan government and the Ministry of Transport must take seriously the management of a road that carries half of Spain's road exports, and where the absence of tolls has led to unbearable traffic chaos that is also costing lives. It is urgently necessary to reconsider making this road toll-free, as it is the country's main road artery, and to opt for smart payment methods, such as the vignette system. But it's also necessary to widen lanes, regulate speed in real time, increase patrols, and restrict truck traffic on holidays and weekends.

Clearly, the long-term solution is to implement the Mediterranean Freight Corridor to remove thousands of trucks from the roads, but until that happens, urgent solutions must be put in place to reduce both traffic and accidents. The AP-7 is too important to the Catalan economy to be a congested road, and today it's the only way Catalans can cross the country from end to end. If the toll-free status has to be eliminated, so be it, but the AP-7 needs to become a highway worthy of the name again, and not the death trap it has become now.