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The Spanish government is to present a proposal on a toll discount scheme for regular users of the AP-7 motorway on the Costa del Sol. The proposal due this Thursday 28 November comes after four months of studies where the ministry of transport has been looking into the possibility for road users travelling between Malaga, Marbella and Guadiaro.
Ministry sources told SUR discounts will apply to regular users, such as workers and students. It won't be a single proposal, but several, the sources added. The working document is expected to present a range of alternatives that will be submitted to representatives of the institutions present at Thursday's meeting. Sources said applying the discounts is not expected to pose any economic issues.
Technicians have been compiling data on the use of the AP-7 motorway in recent months in a bid to establish the average daily intensity at each time of the year, and how many vehicles could be transferred from the free A-7 motorway to the toll motorway. The tariffs and discounts already applied for the use of the Via-T electronic toll system have also been analysed.
This telematic tool, which makes it possible for drivers to pass through the toll without stopping, will be key to applying direct discounts to aid beneficiaries, in line with what is already happening on other Spanish motorways.
However, this process will take time, since, once the plan has been agreed, the change in the concession programme will have to be negotiated with Ausol, the company that operates the road.
Once it is finalised, it will be the first time since the creation of the first section of the AP-7 motorway on 29 June 1999 that the ministry of transport will offer discounts to regular users.
However, initial estimates made by transport experts do not foresee that the transfer would be more than 10% of current traffic on the A-7 (some 10,000 vehicles per day) if there were toll discounts. This is explained by the fact that the dual carriageway is mainly used for commuter traffic between nearby towns, while the AP-7 has few intermediate entrances and exits, which do not facilitate this type of short-distance journey.
The Partido Popular has in the past two days intensified its call to demand the government take concrete measures and decisions to Thursday's meeting. This Thursday, this issue will be discussed within the framework of general transport, while the possibility of extending the coastal railway line along the western Costa del Sol is also set to be discussed.
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