Protests in France trap 4,000 trucks in Catalonia

Around 3,000 to 4,000 trucks were trapped yesterday in service areas and industrial estates in Catalonia. This was as a result of blockades on roads connecting France and Spain set up as part of protests against rising fuel prices in France. Yesterday, the impact of the “yellow vest” protests was particularly noticeable in the Alt Empordà with queues up to 14 km long on the northbound AP-7 on the way to La Jonquera. The traffic jams had already begun to intensify at the weekend, the third weekend since the mobilisations began in France; early this morning, road traffic control restricted trucks’ access to the AP-7 in Figueres, diverting traffic through the N-II. The congestion expanded to the industrial estate of Llers to the north of Figueres and to the northbound N-II. In statements to the Catalan News Agency (ACN), some of the affected truck drivers said they had been in Llers since Sunday and that they thought it would be difficult to get the goods they were carrying to their destinations. Traffic services lifted the restriction on trucks crossing into France on the AP-7 at 12 noon , but by the end of the day there were still 14 km of queues on the northbound AP-7.

Catalan Minister of the Interior Miquel Buch met yesterday with the drivers to discuss congestion on Catalan roads caused by protests in France.