Operation Return: Traffic authority offers advice ahead of busy weekend on the road

IN WEATHER terms, summer is far from over in Spain just yet, but the holiday season is drawing to a close and, with it, major trunk roads are expected to be chock-full with cars between now and about the middle of next week.

'Operation Return' (Operación Retorno) will see those who took the month of August as their annual leave heading back to start work and school again, and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) says peak travel time started today (Friday) at 15.00, and will continue until midnight on Sunday.

But Monday and Tuesday could still see a high volume of cars on motorways and inter-provincial highways, for those who do not have to start work again until September 1.

For many Spanish companies, and in particular the public sector, it is typical to take all one's annual leave in one hit, and in August, or split between July and August; this is especially true in the capital and in other large cities and inland urban areas, particularly for those with school-age children, and the most popular destinations tend to be coast and countryside.

These journeys will combine with habitual short-haul drives to the nearest beach and to holiday or weekend homes, seen throughout the summer.

Like Operación Salida ('Operation Exit'), but in reverse, the busiest roads will be the ones leading from the coasts to the centre.

These special traffic operations involve extra vigilance, typically drones, helicopters, additional speed cameras, police reinforcements, breathalyser checkpoints, digital overhead information boards, radio safety campaigns, and real-time up-to-date travel information on the DGT website.

They also take place on the eve and towards the end of bank holidays, especially when these fall close to a weekend.

DGT sources warn that around 4.75 million vehicles will be on the roads between now and the end of Sunday night – to put this in perspective, if every car was only driver-occupied, it would mean one in every 10 people in the country travelling over two-and-a-half days.

Numbers are very close to those of the same weekend in 2019, the last 'normal' year before the pandemic affected travel and when 4.8 million cars were registered during 'Operation Return'.

For those wanting to avoid the queues as much as possible, the times to avoid driving from now on are between 09.00 and 13.00 tomorrow (Saturday) and 17.00 to 23.00 on Sunday.

At the moment, most of the heavy traffic is in the vicinity of the coasts and rural tourism hotspots, but by nightfall, the worst of the tailbacks will be in the outer ringroads of big cities, the DGT says.

Highways authorities have created extra lanes on major trunk roads using cones, so these can be shifted about as the traffic volume requires, and restrictions on HGVs, lorries carrying hazardous merchandise, wide loads, and other more obstructive and voluminous vehicles will apply during certain times of the day in different parts of the country.

Sporting and other events that take up roads – such as major cycle tours – and roadworks will be postponed in busy parts over the weekend, and alternative routes signposted to give drivers more choice, with distances and times shown according to destination.

Resources employed include 13,000 personnel, emergency services on standby, 780 static speed cameras, 545 portable speed cameras, 12 helicopters, 39 drones, 261 CCTV cameras, and 15 camouflaged vans to check for drivers breaking safety rules such as using a mobile phone at the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt.

The DGT recommends those travelling to check all vehicle functions such as lights, indicators and tyres, avoid heavy meals before setting off, taking plenty of water in bottles in case of hold-ups or breakdowns, plan the route in advance, allow extra time, and not to drive when tired – avoiding night driving, except for those who are typically late risers and nocturnal by nature, and not getting behind the wheel after a long, hot day on the beach or a strenuous day out in the country or sightseeing.