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Photo credits @ Facebook/ DGT

Lorry bans in Valencia and temporary relaxation of driving hours

Spain's Directorate-General for Transport (DGT) has banned lorry traffic in the flood-hit province of Valencia from yesterday, 4 November. In addition, due to the natural disaster, the Spanish Ministry of Transport has decided to relax the rules on drivers' working hours and rest periods.

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Agnieszka Kulikowska - Wielgus

Agnieszka Kulikowska - Wielgus

Journalist Trans.info

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5.11.2024

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The DGT has banned traffic in the province of Valencia and established alternative routes for traffic in the Mediterranean corridor. Vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes can only travel in Valencia and its metropolitan area between 22:00 and 07:00 on weekdays. The ban does not apply to delivering essential goods to the banned area.

The AP-7 Mediterranean motorway running through the province has also been closed due to severe damage. The DGT highlights, among other things, the collapse of a bridge on the 336.8-kilometre stretch of the highway.

Alternative Routes

The Directorate has developed a number of alternative routes to cross the Mediterranean corridor:

North-South axis:

Aragon and Catalonia via the AP-2/A-2 towards Madrid. At Sagunto, the AP-7 is closed with a diversion via the A-23 (Zaragoza).
The Autonomous Community of Madrid via the A-3 motorway and Castilla-La Mancha via the A-31/A-30 Albacete-Alicante-Murcia and Almería.

South-North axis:

Andalusia and the Murcia region via the AP-7/A-7, A-31 Albacete, and A-3 Madrid. The AP-7 is closed at Picassent with a diversion via the A-7.
The Autonomous Communities of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, and Catalonia via the A-2/AP-2 motorways.

Map credits @ DGT

Driving time rules relaxed

The Spanish Ministry of Transport has approved exceptional measures for freight transport, allowing longer driving times and shorter breaks for drivers between 29 October and 10 November 2024. These measures aim to facilitate deliveries in flood-affected areas in several autonomous communities. The relaxation is expected to reduce delays and ease the work of drivers who have to reroute due to the blockage of certain routes.

The temporary exception in force from 29 October to 10 November 2024 introduces the following provisions:

  • Daily driving time limit raised from 9 to 11 hours
  • Maximum weekly driving time increased from 56 to 60 hours
  • Bi-weekly driving time increased from 90 to 102 hours
  • Minimum daily rest period reduced from 11 to 9 hours
  • Two reduced weekly breaks of 24 hours each are allowed, with compensation in the form of a subsequent full weekly rest.

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