I drive quite long distances, and in the process I have become really well acquainted with coastal Spain as well as many parts of the inland zones. I have encountered some truly horrific routes, but I have also encountered some wonderful ribbons of highway. Pity I don’t actually enjoy driving, but if I did these modern stretches of roadway would be a dream. Shame there has to be other traffic about.
Spain’s roads have undergone a real metamorphosis from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans. I enjoy watching old Spanish films shot on location. How different the road system was then. To travel to Madrid from anywhere was a major adventure. Of course there are still remnants of the old roads running right alongside the new. I often find myself alone for long stretches and at times like that I hear echoing in my head of the word “overcrowding”. If I didn’t know better I might question that, but I know all too well what that word means.
It is a word that all European countries, including the U.K. are coming to hate. We can build more and better highways, but they all have a destination in some small town, or even the very large cities that simply cannot cope. The motorcar is no longer a luxury. For most families it’s an absolute necessity, and indeed we need more than one per household because it’s a freedom machine. These are times when we need to pick up and go at the drop of a hat. So, given that philosophy there is no political solution to the problem of too many vehicles on our roads.
The only country with a significant population (for its size) that almost had the answer is my own Bermuda. The enabling legislation of the Motorcar Act, 1947, that allowed private use of motor vehicles, contained the proviso that there could be no more than one car per family household, which is still in effect today. Thus, a ten-person family could have only one car attached to their home. But in time as prosperity came and young people acquired good paying jobs they moved away from home so that they could get their own set of wheels. Now we have too many homes and vehicles. But it did keep the numbers of cars down for a very long time.
There is no turning the clock back. There is a tidal wave of young people who have a reasonable expectation of gaining their driving permit, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to get through the process. Some countries that previously had no theory test to speak of, now challenge the applicant with a test akin to a university course. Also, or so it seems, the practical test is so rigid that if most highly experienced drivers were put through it most would not pass. (Especially because of our bad habits).
So, where is all this heading? Already we see gridlock in the cities on good days. In Valencia, I have long given up on driving into the city. I know my way round quite well, but there is simply no place to park. Even in the pay car parks it is often extremely difficult to find a space. The last time I went downtown it took me about twenty minutes to find the last available space in paid parking. Should one be so lucky as to find a space on the street to parallel park, when you come back you will likely find that another whole row of cars have hemmed you in. You could be there until next week. Who knows?
As for travelling the N-332 anywhere along the coast: Forget it! During the Winter period traffic crawls. Cometh the Summer and the tourists. In the not too distant future they will have to get their tans by sticking their arms out the car windows. I fear that towns like Alicante, Torrevieja , Murcia and Cartagena will soon see the day when no-one will go anywhere. (Going out in the car will mean having to take lunch). Benidorm already knows what that’s like in the Summer.
When I first came to Orihuela Costa it was the Winter and everybody warned me that it would be horrible when the Summer came. So I quickly learned all the back streets to be ready. When the tourist jams did occur I laughed and headed for the secret back streets, only to get stuck in the local jams. Is there no justice?
Death on the roads? It doesn’t have to end like that!
Don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you.
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
