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Barcelona Chamber Urges Statewide Return of Road Tolls to Fund Motorway Upkeep

The appeal follows a new RACC analysis showing motorway risk rising for the first time in 15 years.

Overview

  • La Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona proposes a single, equitable pay‑per‑use system across Spain with revenue ring‑fenced for maintenance and digitalization.
  • Traffic surged after tolls were lifted in 2021 on the AP-7, AP-2, C-32 north and C-33, with some AP-7 stretches up 37% in light vehicles and 55% in heavy trucks.
  • Sector data cited by the chamber link the traffic growth to more congestion, higher accident rates and accelerated wear on key corridors.
  • The road conservation funding gap has widened from €9.453 billion in 2022 to €13.491 billion, while roughly €2 billion in annual maintenance spending remains insufficient and over half of state and Catalan roads show serious deterioration.
  • No national policy shift has been announced, and a previous Generalitat vignette proposal did not advance due to central government reservations.