Antoni Escudero, president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of the Girona Counties, has called for tolls to be reinstated on the AP-7 motorway, saying its present condition damages tourism and Catalonia's image.

The proposal would matter to motorists, tourism businesses and freight operators using the main north-south route through Girona province. Escudero made the appeal during World Tourism Day events at Castell de Biart in Masarac, according to reporting published on 28 September.

“The motorway is impassable, dangerous, dirty and harmful to tourism,” Escudero said.

He said queues had increased since the toll barriers were removed, and described the motorway as poorly maintained and severely damaged. Escudero argued that a moderate charge would be preferable to the current situation.

Call for toll booths and a lorry lane

Escudero rejected a vignette, a road-use permit system, as a solution. He said it could not guarantee payment by every foreign vehicle entering Catalonia, and called instead for toll booths to be restored along the AP-7.

He also asked for measures intended to reduce the traffic disruption he described:

  • the return of AP-7 toll booths;
  • a dedicated lane for lorries on the motorway; and
  • the extension of the C-32 between Blanes and Lloret.

Escudero also used his speech to predict political change. L'Empordà reported on Friday that the event included representatives linked to Junts per Catalunya, known as JxCat, a Catalan political party represented in the Parliament of Catalonia.

“Times of political change are coming,” Escudero said.

The calls made at the Masarac event are requests from the Girona hospitality federation. No timetable for a change to AP-7 charging was set out in the remarks.

Reported by emporda.info, parlament.cat, Parlament de Catalunya, El Periódico, festivalesdeespana.com, blocs.mesvilaweb.cat, L'Empordà.