At loggerheads over N-332 bottleneck

Madrid says Oliva is gridlock-free, but residents beg to differ

GRIDLOCK in Oliva is apparently a thing of the past – on paper, at least.

National traffic department (DGT) figures sent to mayor David González indicate that since the AP-7 motorway became toll-free on January 1, the number of vehicles passing through the town on the N-332 has halved.

Residents who still get stuck in nose-to-tail queues and breathe in exhaust fumes all day long might beg to differ, but the data from Madrid includes the three months during which Spain was in lockdown, meaning they are not necessarily a fair reflection of post-toll life.

Between the south entrance to Oliva and the northern limit, where it joins L'Alqueria de la Comtessa, an average of 27,121 vehicles passed through the town every day in 2018 – roughly the equivalent of one for every single inhabitant – and approximately one in every five or 10 were huge lorries.

By the end of May 2020, the number had reduced to 14,166 per day on average – although with Spain in full lockdown from mid-March onwards, traffic was practically non-existent anyway.

Between El Verger, on the Alicante province border, and the south end of Oliva, the average number of daily vehicles in 2018 was 16,283, but fell to 6,712 by May 2020, a reduction of 60%.

The greater fall in traffic at this end of Oliva would have been partly due to the fact that, during lockdown, hardly any vehicles would have needed to go to the Brosquil industrial estate on the El Verger side, since all bar essential businesses were closed.

González says the actual impact of scrapping the tolls cannot be truly ascertained until data for at least a full year are available – given that summer and winter figures vary – although to calculate a full year without a three-month lockdown involved could mean no accurate answers until the end of 2021.

In practice, prior to and since lockdown, very little visible difference has been seen at first glance – lorries and longdistance drivers still use the N332 through Oliva, even though they should have no need to do so with the motorway being free of charge.

González has been campaigning hard for an AP-7 exit at the southern end of Oliva, linking with the N-332 and the Pego road, which would mean only those whose destination or departure point is actually in Oliva itself would need to use the town road.

The motorway interchange works are due to start some time this year, although it will not be open until 2022 at the earliest.