The 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 cartoonist Miquel Ferreres (Barcelona, ​​1950) celebrates fifty years in the profession this year. After his time in Catalan Post, The Vanguard and The NewspaperHe arrived at ARA, where he has published a daily cartoon since 2018. His friend Toni Batllori told him one day that the job they had chosen was a "sweet deal." Ferreres assures that, if it is, it's not because of the hours, the salary, or the amount of work, but because of the luck of dedicating himself to a job he likes and that, if he were born again, he would do again.

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.