The Special Christmas Operation could be complicated from tomorrow, Sunday December 21, by the arrival of an Atlantic front, which would bring rain and a drop in snow levels over a large part of the Peninsula. The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) today warned of these incidents and recommended drivers to check road conditions and weather forecasts in order to avoid accidents and traffic jams. The DGT forecasts 22.4 million trips during these Christmas dates.
It is common that until January 6, vehicle traffic increases due to public holidays. Visits from family and friends and trips to places of second residence, as well as visiting shopping centers, cause an increase in the number of trips both long distances and short distances. The arrival of snow could make this mobility difficult, according to the DGT.
Forecasts from the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) indicate that snowfall could begin today in the mountains of Lugo, Ourense and the Cantabrian Mountains. Of course, they should be much more abundant from tomorrow, Sunday 21, in the provinces of Lugo, León, Palencia, Burgos, Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca, La Rioja, Navarra, Zaragoza; Huesca, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Granada and Sierra de Madrid.
The DGT reminds that precipitation affects traffic not only on conventional roads – regional and local roads, with a single lane in each direction of traffic – but also on highways and motorways. It is therefore recommended to know the state of the roads before embarking on your trip.
The high-capacity roads likely to be affected are the A-66/AP-66 (Asturias and León), the A-67 (Palencia-Cantabria), the A-6/AP-6 (Madrid-León), the AP-51 (Ávila), the AP-61 (Segovia), the A-1 (Madrid-Burgos), the A-2 (Madrid-Soria), the A-52. (Benavente-Ourense) and the A-23 (Huesca-Jaca). Traffic also reported the need to install winter tires, all-season tires or chains. in case it is necessary to use them.
Drivers who are going to undertake a journey can check the traffic situation in real time through different DGT channels, such as radio news bulletins, on social networks: X @DGTes and @informacionDGT; on its website www.dgt.es and at the telephone number 011. All this information is updated in browsers and in the national access point to traffic information (https://nap.dgt.es/).
Traffic has released certain measures that it could implement to guarantee traffic flow and safety. Among them are the restriction of the circulation of heavy goods vehicles and vehicles without winter tires, all-season tires or chains, the limitation of traffic speed and the prohibition of overtaking, the implementation of total preventive cuts and the diversion of traffic towards alternative routes.
Traffic also has 32 automated and monitored diversions on different roads, ready to operate to bag trucks, to activate them if necessary due to the winter road conditions that arise.
Left lane free
One of the measures on which the DGT has had the greatest impact is the need to leave the left lane of busy roads – highways and highways – free so that road maintenance vehicles and snow plows can pass. It is also recommended to pay close attention to the information on the light signs and to the instructions of the agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, in addition to being extremely careful when traveling in the areas and roads affected by this forecast, as well as having the appropriate means and equipment to travel safely, including chains or winter tires.
The General Directorate of Traffic is in permanent contact to coordinate the actions to be carried out in the event of snowfall and rain with the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard and the Traffic Coordination Centers of the DGT, as well as the Air Media Unit of the DGT, also through the Risk Assessment Unit of the General Directorate of Civil Protection, the State Meteorological Agency and with the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
For the management and regulation of traffic in these winter traffic episodes, the DGT has eight Traffic Management Centers active 24 hours a day, from which actions on the road network in their areas of influence are coordinated thanks to the equipment and means at their disposal and which make it possible to know the state of traffic and communicate incidents to drivers.
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