-This is the seventh year that acesa and aumar are taking part in Operation Crossing the Straits, which began on 15 June and will end on 15 September.

-Their actions will smooth the flow of traffic on the AP-7 motorway between La Jonquera (Girona) and Alicante.

-Signposting in Arabic, road and services maps, as well as the presence of doctors and interpreters at service areas, are some of the measures included in this initiative.

-The action forms part of the fundación abertis Road Safety Programme.

For the seventh successive year, motorway operators acesa and aumar are collaborating with the Spanish authorities to smooth the way for traffic during the so-called “Operation Crossing the Straits” (in which North Africans return home for the summer vacations) which began on 15 June and will end on 15 September. According to figures from the Directorate-General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, of Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, it is forecast that more than 550,000 vehicles and some 2.5 million people will be travelling to the ports of Alicante, Almería, Málaga and Algeciras.

The Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) estimates that more than half of these vehicles will travel down the “Mediterranean Corridor” –the AP-7 motorway. To help them, aumar and acesa, the operators managing the AP-7 from La Jonquera (on the border with France) to Alicante, have implemented a programme to reinforce all their information systems, to improve both user safety and traffic flows on this motorway.

User information and services

The measures implemented by acesa and aumar include the siting of signs in Arabic and the provision to travellers of maps in French and Arabic with information on the location of medical staff, petrol stations, SOS telephones, service areas and acesa, aumar and DGT telephone numbers.

Additionally, at specific service areas along the AP-7 between La Jonquera and Alicante, travellers will have available a team of doctors, nurses and French/Arabic-speaking interpreters at the Red Cross assistance centres.

This year, acesa and aumar have published 25,000 maps in French and Arabic. aumar will distribute 15,000 at the Sagunto (Valencia) and Sant Joan D’Alacant (Alicante) toll stations, and in service areas and petrol stations. acesa will give out the remainder at La Jonquera, given the large number of vehicles coming from Europe and heading to North Africa passing through this point.

Also, 100,000 pamphlets will be distributed with additional information on the services provided on the motorways, together with safety advice for passengers. This actions from part of the educational activities of the Road Safety Programme promoted by the fundación abertis.

Motorway signposting

acesa has installed 6 signs in Arabic at the following sites: two signs in Montmeló (Barcelona), at the junction of the AP-7 with the C-33; two more at El Papiol (Barcelona), at the junction of the AP-2 and the AP-7, and two more at the Mediterranean bifurcation (Tarragona), where the AP-2 and the AP-7 come together.

Additionally, the L’Empordà (Girona), La Selva (Girona) and El Penedès (Tarragona) service areas will have an interpreter –during the weekends from 13 July to 26 August– and a Red Cross information point, which makes available two doctors, two paramedics and a medical assistance vehicle to travellers. In addition to participating in Operation Crossing the Straits, the Red Cross keeps these centres open during the weekend year-round, as well as on peak road use days, especially during the summer holidays.

aumar assists the DGT in Operation Crossing the Strait by installing signposting in Arabic at the la Ribera (Castellón) and la Marina (Alicante) service areas and with information points manned 16 hours a day by two people from 21 June to 4 September.

As far as security measures are concerned, two members of the Guardia Civil police will visit the area, and there will also be helicopter surveillance flights, to improve security in the motorway’s immediate area.

aumar is working with the Red Cross in the installation of a play area in the Sagunto service area, manned by monitors and open until the end of August between 12 noon and 4 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. This initiative aims to increase the rest taken by drivers and passengers and keep younger family members entertained.

The actions implemented by aumar and acesa in response to Operation Crossing the Strait form part of the fundación abertis Road Safety Programme to improve public awareness of the importance of responsible, risk-free mobility. The Programme has four key points: road safety education in schools, research studies, technical workshops and promotional activities.

The motorway operators acesa and aumar belong to the abertis group, which directly manages more than 1,500 kilometres of motorway in Spain.