Variable Speed Limits in Barcelona: Spain's Pioneering System to Regulate Traffic Jams

The C-31 (the Castelldefels motorway) and the C-32 (the Garraf motorway) in Barcelona have launched a pioneering system in Spain aimed at reducing the traffic jams typical of these roads. Through the variable speed system, drivers must adjust their speed to between 80 and 40 km/h depending on the road conditions at any given moment.

The system was launched last month, and opinions are mixed. During the first days of operation, the same usual tailbacks were recorded at peak hours, but some drivers have noticed slightly smoother traffic flow, and the system, as the director of the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT) acknowledged, will be adjusted to make it more effective.

The system is managed from the Civicat (road information centre) and can operate in automatic or manual mode (in the event of an accident, for example). The system is made up of a series of radars, number plate readers, video cameras, and signage panels, among other elements. In this way, speed limits are adjusted according to congestion, weather conditions, or pollution levels.

The limit will change on the panels in steps of ten kilometres per hour, up or down, and drivers will have one kilometre to adapt to the new speed set. During the first two months, which are considered a trial period, no fines will be issued to offenders, provided they do not exceed the current limit of 80 km/h.

Source | La Vanguardia