The AP-7 highway it has turned into a true thief again this Thursday. thetanker accidentwhich caught fire, has forced the road to be closed since seven in the morning at the height of Barberà del Vallès. The queues have reached the twenty kilometers in the direction of Tarragona at noon, although around ten in the morning up to two lanes of traffic were reopened while firefighters tried to clear the area of the accident. The detentions have been extended for nearly 10 hours.
“⚠️ Two lanes of the AP-7 in Barberà del Vallès southbound reopened after being closed for three hours due to the fire of a tanker.
�� Up to 19 kilometers of retention | @RTVECatalunya
➕ Info: https://t.co/1DQM4FxIjJ pic.twitter.com/WgzeS7VDP6“
— RTVE News (@rtvenoticies) June 9, 2022
Five hours to remove the damaged vehicle
In the north, the retentions have reached 17 kilometers intermittently. The effects have also been transferred to other roads such as the B-23, C-58, and B-30 and the C-59 from Palau-solità and Plegamans (Barcelona) and the C-17 from Parets del Vallès ( Barcelona) on the links to the AP-7.
“�� The AP-7 in Barberà del Vallès cut off in the south direction with 11 km of delays and 16 km in the north direction due to an accident with a tanker truck on fire | @RTVECatalunya
➕ Info: https://t.co/1DQM4FxIjJ pic.twitter.com/L0WD7iCCX2“
— RTVE News (@rtvenoticies) June 9, 2022
The truck driver escaped unhurt after his vehicle caught fire, and six fire brigades from the Generalitat were dispatched to the scene, who managed to clean the oil stain caused by the accident around 11 in the morning and at at noon they managed to remove it from the road.
“⚠️ The accident of a tanker truck collapses the AP-7 again.
�� Firefighters remove the burnt vehicle five hours later | @andreavicenteh @RTVECatalunya
➕ Info: https://t.co/I3dVKWVQ07 pic.twitter.com/pTFJdmYFK3“
— RTVE News (@rtvenoticies) June 9, 2022
The same AP-7 already recorded retentions of up to 20 kilometers during the return operation of the bridge of the second Easter. Also during the departure operation on Friday and Saturday there were significant delays that were repeated on Tuesday due to several accidents in Vilafranca and la Gornal. On average, there are 126 kilometers of delays on this route every week.
Possible measures
Queues that have not been seen since before the pandemic and that now, with the return to activity and especially the elimination of tolls, seem to have worsened. Faced with this situation of road collapse, the Generalitat has announced that it is studying measures to try to minimize the situation.
“�� The Catalan Traffic and Interior Service is studying banning the passage of trucks on the AP7 at weekends.
�� The measure could come into force from the Pont de Sant Joan to avoid kilometer queues | @RTVECatalunya
➕ Info: https://t.co/yeghZCSYav pic.twitter.com/xz9DkEozcf“
— RTVE News (@rtvenoticies) June 7, 2022
The spokeswoman for the Catalan executive, Patricia Plajaadvanced the possibility of prohibit the circulation of trucks during the weekend from the nearby Pont de Sant Joan. A measure that is not new, given that it was already used on Sundays in September due to the recorded congestion. The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, has added the need to divert a considerable part of the goods that are transported by road towards alternatives such as the railway network.
On the other hand, the Racc has raised the need to prohibit the overtaking of heavy vehicles during the time slots with more traffic and in the sections most sensitive to the increase in mobility following the lifting of tolls on the main motorways such as the AP-7. Remember that “excessive use” of the left lane it does not allow you to gain time when overtaking trucks, nor does it represent an increase in safety, but rather increases congestion.
Carriers under threat
Some proposals that the carriers did not like it at all, who believe they are being singled out unfairly. They explain that for 4 years, they have been forced to travel on the AP-7, and that, therefore, they are not to blame for the congestion who live on the highway. They remember that in 2018 they were already forced to drive on the highway and now that it is free they consider it unfair that they are forced to stop.
Transporters, waiting to be able to drive on the highway at weekends
The president of the Transport and Logistics Association of Catalonia, Antonio Martínez, says that the Government’s proposal that trucks do not travel on the AP-7 at weekends would not only harm the truck drivers, but would also harm the economy. Martínez warns that 70% of exports leave the country through these routes and that stopping them on Saturday in Tarragona would mean arriving at their destination two days later. In this regard, he adds that there are alternatives to improve traffic, such as more police checks to prevent bad driving behavioror special lanes for carriers.