Rush hour traffic returns to 2019 levels at main access roads into Malaga
Black spots include the road from Rincón de la Victoria to Malaga, the Hiperronda exit in Alhaurín de la Torre and the San Pedro crossing
IGNACIO LILLO/JUAN CANO
Monday, 7 February 2022, 09:52
The return to work and the classroom have marked the reappearance of Malaga's infamous traffic jams. Rush hour, especially in the morning, can double the amount of time it takes to get around the Rincón de la Victoria area with access to Alhaurín de la Torre and some areas of Marbella also proving troublesome.
On the eastern A-7 the Average Daily Intensity (ADT) of traffic has already surpassed the last recorded data of September 2019. If two years ago there were almost 73,600 vehicles on the roads, this year there have been more than 76,400. However, in Torremolinos the ADT is now lower with 123,700 vehicles in 2019 compared to 119,700. In Las Pedrizas (A-45) the amount of traffic has neither increased or decreased with 49,000 vehicles in circulation.
The increase in traffic jams can be linked to population growth in commuter towns around Malaga city.
Alhaurín de la Torre has 43,287 residents, Rincón de la Victoria has 49,774 and Cártama has 27,826. In 2000 these three areas had a combined population of 57,000 compared to the more than 120,000 residents living in these districts in 2022.
From La Cala del Moral to Guadalhorce is just 21 kilometres. Mercedes Lara, who works for Canal Sur, said, "I leave home at 8am in the morning and I find a huge traffic jam from the N-340 to the A-7 every day. I'm in second gear all the way, it takes 40 to 45 minutes, while without traffic it would be only 19 minutes."
This situation has been worsening since the end of September, "with the return of the face-to-face university classes it is being noticed a lot". To compensate, Mercedes Lara admits that she has had to change her habits. "I have to get up 20 minutes earlier, otherwise I don't get to work." In her opinion, rather than widening the roads, the solution should be a "real commitment" to public transport, both metropolitan and EMT.
Marbella, a black spot
Outside the city, the main black spot is in Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara, where congestion on the A-7 (the old N-340) is a problem throughout the year and is seriously exacerbated in summer. María Luisa, an infant school teacher at CEI Pinolivo, and a resident of Benalmádena, encounters traffic jams or, at least, slow traffic from Riviera in Mijas, to Elviria, where the school is located, every morning.
