Traffic provides 15.8 million displacements at Holy Week | Spain

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) It foresees 15.84 million displacements during the Holy Week parties, which begins on Friday, April 11 and will last until Monday 21, since it is festive in five autonomous communities (Catalonia, Basque Country, La Rioja, Valencian Community and Navarra). The DGT has designed a special operation to try to guarantee the fluidity at the entrance and exit moments of the cities and that circulation accidents are reduced. In the Holy Week of 2024, 27 people lost their lives in 24 road accidents.

The provision of 15.84 million road displacements represents an increase of 2.47% compared to the real number of movements registered during Holy Week last year. These vacations are, by far, the most complicated of the whole year, because the displacements are concentrated in a few days – specially, on Friday, April 11, Saturday 12, Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, Sunday 20 and Monday 21- and drivers are directed to the same areas and in very similar schedules. Costa destinations are those that record the most vehicle concentrations.

The Holy Week operation is divided, for the DGT, in two phases. The first begins on Friday 11 at 15.00 and will conclude on Sunday 13 at 00.00. Traffic provides 4.23 million roads by road in that period. The second phase is the one that usually hosts throughout the road network. Wednesday 16 will take place until midnight on Monday, April 21.

Traffic does not rule out that some movements towards the places of rest and second residence can begin today Thursday afternoon, mainly because many companies give their employees that they can opt for teleworking and that it is no longer school in several autonomous communities. Of course, the bulk of the first phase will take place, according to the DGT forecast, between 15.00 and 22.00 on Friday, reaching its most critical moment between 18.00 and 21.00. There are not great traffic jams in the exits of the most populated cities and in access to tourist areas. It should be remembered that at the beginning of the holidays for thousands of people, the short weekend movements will join. These high -concentration forecasts of vehicles will be repeated at the exit of large cities on Saturday morning between 9 am and 14.00. In this case, the circulation of vehicles will be added on short journeys that are directed to recreation areas or nearby recreation.

The return of Sunday 13 will be the closure of the first phase of the Holy Week operation, when retentions are expected in the entrances of the big cities, but with less intensity than those registered on Friday and Saturday. The most complicated hours range from 18.00 to 22.00.

Traffic has detailed the entire device that will start to guarantee people’s road safety that move and to facilitate mobility and fluidity on roads. This device will participate in the 5,600 agents of the Civil Guard Traffic Group, the staff of the DGT management centers, helicopters and employees for the maintenance of equipment and installation of measures on the road. The installation of reversible and additional lanes is expected at certain points at the time of greater traffic congestion, in addition to establishing alternative itineraries. All works on the roads will be paralyzed, the celebration of sports tests and all the events that involve the occupation of the roads and the circulation of trucks and those that transport certain merchandise in certain sections, dates and hours will be limited.

The DGT has also reported in a statement that all these personnel will be responsible for maintaining the circulation in the affected tracks or sections “by adverse weather conditions such as snow, ice, fog, rain and wind” and ensuring that drivers comply with the regulations in force, for which there are fixed and mobile speed control radars, helicopters, drones, cameras and vans to control the use of mobile and safety belt. He has also recommended that the most unfavorable hours to travel and plan the trip before the safest route be avoided. To do this, the state of the roads can be informed in the accounts of X @informacionndgt and @dgtes, the newsletters on radio and television, as well as on the telephone 011.

The established device can be consulted in the “Special Operations” section in www.dgt.es/conoce-el-stado-del-trafic

During the Holy Week of 2024, 27 people lost their lives in 24 traffic accidents. Of these, seven of the 11 deaths in cars and vans They did not wear the seat belt. Civil Guard agents will intensify breathalyzer and drug controls on these dates, In addition to making special surveillance of the use of the safety belt and child retention systems (SRI).

Finally, the DGT recalled that the heavy rains of recent weeks have caused them to exist affected road sections and that are being repaired on these dates: « Therefore, even if the works are paralled during these holidays, there may be narrowing of lanes or cutting sections that can make advisable opt for alternative itineraries that avoid these sections in which more retentions can occur than usual. »