Madrid returns to normal. And the normality is also the

monumental traffic jams

and the total collapse of the traffic. The

return to the offices

after the long

pandemic

, the reluctance of thousands of people to still use

public transport

and, this week, the

commuter drivers' strike

are making traffic levels very similar to those before the Covid-19 pandemic. And in some peaks of the day, higher, especially between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The works in some strategic points of the circulation of Madrid, with a significant reduction of lanes, as is the case in the

Nudo Norte

, are putting the rest so that the capital is becoming a mousetrap for cars at certain times.

The

Madrid City Council

is aware and is trying to promote public transport to also recover the levels of use before the pandemic.

As sources from

the Environment and Mobility Area

assure

, the

M-30

already has almost the same traffic as in 2019. The average daily traffic this week reflects a reduction of 3% over what there was two years ago, but with peaks times in which it is being exceeded.

The

morning rush hour

, they explain from the Consistory, is being lower in intensity than before the

Covid

.

It starts later and also ends later.

The main problems are coming from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The

afternoon rush hour

, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., has been reduced by the concentration of working hours and teleworking, as explained to this newspaper from the City Council of the capital.

October, the worst month

As they add from Mobility, October "historically always registers the worst data on congestion and traffic intensity of the year."

A circumstance aggravated these days by the high incidence of the Renfe strike.

This October, in addition, it is necessary to add up to

seven long-term works

that keep numerous routes closed. Among them, the most important are those of the Nudo Norte, which joins the M-30,

A-1

and

M-607

with

Paseo de la Castellana

; that of the

Plaza de España

, which includes the cut

of the Bailén street tunnel

in both directions; the remodeling of the

Santiago Bernabéu

stadium

, with a lateral cut in the Paseo de la Castellana and the reduction of lanes in the

avenues of Concha Espina

,

Padre Damián

and

Rafael Salgado

. In the heart of the city,

Calle Alcalá

is being remodeled

from Cibeles to Cedaceros, with the cut of the left lanes.

Or the

Paseo del Prado

, which includes the bus lane cut from Atocha.

The works, together with an average of between five and 10 accidents and breakdowns every morning, are making rush hours in October very complicated.

This same Thursday, reports from the City Council's traffic control center explain that an accident at the exit of the

A-2

at 7:26 a.m. forced the cutting of three lanes of the Barcelona highway and the entire eastern area of ​​the city collapsed. M-30 and the city, including

Avenida de América

,

Arturo Soria

,

Pío XII

and the urban axes located between the Castellana and the Madrid ring road on its eastern side, causing heavy traffic jams throughout rush hour and until 10 a.m. 37 hours.

This accident was the most important of those that affected traffic, but not the only one.

In total there were three and two damaged vehicles that generated retentions in the main axes of the capital.

As they add from the Consistory, the Madrilenians have not returned to public transport with the same intensity as to take the private car.

As of October 5, the

EMT

buses

registered an occupation that was 75% of what they had on the same dates in 2019. A part of that remaining 25% is still teleworking, but another is returning to work taking their private vehicles.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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