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Dirección General de Tráfico

Traffic agency expects 5,340,000 All Saints trips

Spain's traffic authority launches a special All Saints operation from 15:00 on Friday, October 30, expecting 5,340,000 long-distance journeys, with maximum…

--- The context --- All Saints again turns Spanish roads into the backbone of millions of family journeys, many of them linked to cemetery visits and to short trips that do not always appear in headline figures. This year the operation carries an added factor, because the suspension of rail service toward Andalusia after the accident in Urda may shift travelers toward coaches and private cars, as the national traffic authority warned when presenting the plan. --- The facts --- The special operation starts at 15:00 on Friday, October 30. It will end at 24:00 on Sunday, November 1, in regions where Monday is a working day, and it will run until midnight on November 2 in Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla and Leon, Extremadura and the Community of Madrid, where that day is a holiday. Traffic authorities expect 5,340,000 long-distance road journeys, in addition to numerous short trips. The departure will be spread mainly between Friday afternoon, October 30, and Saturday morning, October 31, with the worst complications between 16:00 and 22:00 on Friday on routes out of large urban centers and toward coastal, second-home and mountain areas. Saturday will remain busy, and Sunday, November 1, will bring numerous cemetery visits. The return will begin on Sunday afternoon where Monday is not a holiday and will peak on Monday, November 2, in the regions where that day is a holiday. --- The positions --- The traffic authority says it will deploy maximum human and technical resources to handle the increase in circulation and protect road safety. The operation will mobilize officers from the Civil Guard traffic unit, the aerial means unit, the eight traffic management centers, equipment maintenance workers and emergency services, along with fixed and mobile speed radars, helicopters, drones and cameras to monitor mobile phone use and seat belt use. To improve flow, additional and reversible lanes will be opened, alternative routes will be proposed, roadworks affecting traffic will be halted and truck circulation will be restricted on certain sections, dates and times. --- What remains unknown --- It is still unknown how many travelers will actually move from rail to road on routes to and from Andalusia, or whether autumn weather will add rain, fog or frost during the holiday period. It is also unclear how the closure of one lane on the A-1, between kilometers 51 and 59 near Venturada and Cabanillas de la Sierra, where three viaducts are being repaired, will affect traffic. Authorities plan an additional lane into Madrid from kilometer 74, if weather and safety conditions allow it. --- Unanswered questions --- How many travelers will switch from train to road toward Andalusia during these days? Will the A-1 withstand the Monday return with one lane closed between kilometers 51 and 59? Will the additional lane from kilometer 74 work if the weather worsens? Will drivers respect the emergency lane and the mandatory use of the V-16 beacon after an incident? --- EPM analysis --- The plan combines enforcement, traffic management and planning advice. Drivers are urged to check road conditions through official channels and the 011 telephone service, avoid the least favorable hours and inspect their vehicles before leaving. Authorities also recall that the emergency lane on motorways and dual carriageways has been in force since October 1, and must be created when vehicles move at walking pace or stop, pulling aside to let priority vehicles pass. In autumn, reduced daylight and sudden weather changes require lower speeds and greater safety distances. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, this operation shows that road safety during a holiday weekend depends as much on public planning as on individual decisions taken before departure, because millions of journeys coincide within a few hours, with family destinations, cemetery visits and staggered returns shaped by each regional calendar. Enforcement with radars, helicopters and drones can organize traffic, but prudence, checking incidents in advance and respecting the emergency lane and the V-16 beacon remain the first line of protection for everyone on the road, on every route and at every hour.
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