More than 16.5 million road trips are expected during the 2024 Easter week celebrations, representing an increase of 1.5 million over the figures for 2019 and 1% more than in 2023.
In the first phase, which begins this Friday the 22nd at 3:00 p.m. and will run until midnight on Sunday the 24th, 4.2 million trips are planned.
Last year during Holy Week there were 29 fatal incidents in which 35 people died.
Easter Traffic Plan 2024
At 3:00 p.m. this coming Friday, March 22, the Special Easter Traffic Operation begins; a device that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) puts in place to ensure the safety and fluidity of road movements and that will run until midnight next Monday, April 1, a holiday in seven communities (Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Basque Country, La Rioja, Valencian Community and Navarra).
The 16,550,000 planned road trips represent an increase of 1.5 million over the 2019 figures and 1% more than in 2023.
This holiday period is one of the most complicated of the year, as the volume of trips made in a short space of time, with similar origins and destinations and made on the same days and times, increases.
As usual and to coincide with holidays, the operation is carried out in two phases, coinciding with the greatest number of movements and in which almost 90% of the planned movements are concentrated.
The first phase begins on Friday the 22nd at 3:00 p.m. and ends at midnight on Sunday, March 24. In this phase, 4.2 million road movements are planned.
The second phase, more important than the previous one due to the volume of vehicle movements along the entire road network, will begin on Wednesday, March 27 and will end on Monday, April 1.
Traffic Forecasts during the First Phase of Easter 2024
The traffic forecasts prepared contemplate that from the early afternoon of Friday the 22nd (from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and, especially, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.) there may be traffic problems and delays at the exits of the large cities, as well as in access to coastal tourist areas, as long-distance trips at the beginning of the holiday period coincide with the usual short weekend trips.
On Saturday the 23rd in the morning, the intense traffic leaving the large urban centres will continue (between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and will be added to the circulation of vehicles whose destination is the recreation and leisure areas near them.
On Sunday the 24th, this first phase of the special operation will close with the return of those who have enjoyed the weekend, so there will be delays in the evening (especially between 6 and 10 p.m.) at the entrances to the cities, although less intense than other Sundays.
To guarantee the road safety of all those who travel and, at the same time, facilitate mobility and fluidity on the roads, the DGT has during these days the maximum availability of the means at its disposal, both technical (fixed radars and speed control mobile phones, helicopters and drones, as well as cameras and camouflaged vans to control the use of mobile phones and seat belts) as well as humans (agents of the Traffic Group of the Guardia Civil, official staff of the Traffic Management Centres, helicopter patrols and personnel in charge of equipment maintenance and installation of road measures).
In addition, during these days, traffic planning and regulation measures will be implemented, such as the installation of reversible lanes that facilitate circulation in and out of urban centres depending on needs, the stoppage of works or restrictions on certain goods vehicles in specific sections and times.
The DGT also insists, when preparing the trip, not only to be informed of the traffic situation in real time and any incidents that may exist, either from the Twitter accounts @informacionDGT and @DGTes, in the official information bulletins in radio and television or by calling 011, but also take into account possible alternative routes that help avoid the most conflictive areas.
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