The Madrid City Council bills almost a million euros a day in traffic fines

The Madrid City Council earns nearly one million euros a day from complaints related to traffic and 7 of the 10 radars that impose the most fines for speeding in the city are on the M-30.

This is clear from a report prepared by Associated European Motorists (AEA) on the traffic complaints made last year by the Madrid City Council.

According to AEA, the Madrid council filed a total of 2,603,669 traffic complaints in 2023 (that is, one every five minutes) for a “record” amount of 341,363,840 euros (almost one million a day).

The number of complaints decreased by 3.6% compared to 2022 (which was 2,702,125), but the amount of sanctions increased by 1.2% (the previous year they totaled 337,048,410 euros).

This fact was due to the fact that minor infractions have decreased (-13.8%), such as prohibited parking or parking in the SER zone with an invalid card, but serious (6.7%) or very serious (7.9%) increased, which resulted in the average amount of fines has gone from 124.7 euros in 2022 to 131.10 euros in 2023.

Regarding serious infractions, there was a reduction in the number of complaints for passing the red light (-18.2%) and unmarked vehicles entering Plaza Elíptica (-53%) or the M-30 (-31. 9%), but they increased due to not using a seat belt (27.2%), child restraint systems (33.8%), prohibited use of mobile phones (16.2%) and speeding (7. 1%).

More ‘multiple’ radars

The most active radar in 2023 was the one located at kilometer 4,150 of the M-30, with 48,438 complaints filed, although those located on the A-6/Av. Puerta de Hierro near the Costume Museum and the one located at kilometer 19.06 of the M-30 are the ones that experienced the greatest increases in the number of complaints made.

The M-30 continued to be the road with the highest number of speeding violations, with 273,166 complaints, in addition to bringing together seven of the ten most ‘crowded’ radars, at kilometer points 4,150 (48,438 complaints), 19,800 (38,420), 19.06 (31,761), 27,000 (29,057), tunnel at kilometer 10,300 ( 26,863), 16,530 (24,151) and 6,700 (17,469).

The ‘top ten’ of the most active cinemometers is completed with the radar section of the A-5 (34,728), Puerta de Hierro avenue (32,578) and kilometer 4.00 of the A-5 in the exit direction (17,807 ).

Road safety and speed

On the other hand, AEA indicates in its report that “the majority of infractions committed in the city of Madrid do not directly affect the road safety of citizens, but rather their mobility”, since 45.4% of the complaints refer to to parking lots (1,182,471) and another 27.7% to prohibited access to the Low Emission Zones (721,534), specifically the Central District, Plaza Elíptica and inside the M-30 and the M-30 itself.

In general, municipal radars increased their activity with 518,638 complaints, compared to the 484,100 made in 2022).

The report highlights “the exponential increase, around 1,500%”, in the complaints imposed for exceeding the speed limit of 30 km/h on roads such as Avenida de la Victoria, Calle Castillo de Candanchú, Avenida de Entrevías or Machupichu Avenue.

Besides, points out that complaints increased for unauthorized access to the Central District (19.8%) and that 50% of all prohibited access to that area is concentrated in five streets: Alcalá, 51; Gran Via, 71; Atocha, 125; Segovia corner with Ronda Segovia, 31, and San Bernardo, 91.

“The Madrid City Council would have to explain, first of all, why, instead of reducing the fines for accessing the Central District without authorization, these are increasingly numerous, and also why? half of these infractions are concentrated in so only five specific points in the capital,” said Mario Arnaldo, president of AEA.

Arnaldo concluded: “Regarding the rest of the infractions, we believe that they also Madrid City Council should rethink its road safety policy because, in our opinion, traffic fines in Madrid have become just another tax and, under the banner of mobility and road safety, a sanctioning machinery has been created that does not respect the legal guarantees of citizens and does not achieve reduce road indiscipline.