driving
France-Spain motorway plans to introduce 100km/h speed limit
Nearly 200km of AP-7 in Catalonia would use AI cameras to help control limits
Plans to reduce the speed limit on a key motorway linking Spain and France are being considered by Spanish and Catalan authorities.
Nearly 200km of the AP-7, which links Catalonia to southern France’s A9 autoroute, could see speed limits reduced to 100km/h – potentially lower during critical periods – according to Spanish news outlets Diari de Girona and El Periódico.
Plans to introduce the new limits are set for 2027, although exact dates are yet to be finalised.
A 150km stretch of road between Maçanet de la Selva (located between Girona and Lloret de Mar) and El Vendrell (between Barcelona and Tarragona) is being considered for the main reduction, which would see the use of AI cameras to help control limits and drivers.
The traffic calming measures are being considered in response to a high rate of accidents on the motorway with Spanish media reporting 12 deaths and 646 accidents on the AP-7 between January and September this year.
Diari de Girona said this represented a doubling in the number of serious injuries on the motorway compared to the same period in 2019.
The roadways were recently the site of a trial for AI cameras that can catch drivers using their mobile phones, with plans to roll this technology out across Catalan roads.
While the maximum limit would be reduced to 100km/h, allowances for temporary drops of 80km/h or even 60km/h in the event of accidents or poor weather are also being considered.
A second 44km stretch of road south of Barcelona is also being considered for a speed reduction to 100km/h, without the use of AI camera technology. This is being considered by the Madrid authorities, separate to the main plans by the Catalan regional authorities.
The AP-7 remains one of the most important motorways in Spain, running down the eastern coastline and linking with France on the eastern side of the Pyrénées.
Catalan road authorities are releasing a new app for drivers, currently scheduled for December 2026, to help navigate the motorway.
