Daily Traffic Hits New Highs in Portugal
The daily traffic on Portugal's National Highway Network has surged by 5% in the first nine months of 2024, setting a new record. According to data from the Institute of Mobility and Transport, cited by Jornal de Notícias, an average of 22,967 vehicles traveled on highway-like roads each day, the highest since records began in 2008.
In comparison, the average daily traffic in 2023 was 21,842 vehicles, a decrease of 5% from the previous year, while 2022 saw an average of 20,184 vehicles. After a steady decline during the pandemic in 2020, when traffic dropped to around 15,000 vehicles/day, the numbers have been on the rise again since 2021, surpassing the previous record set in 2009.
Most Congested Roads
The IC19, which connects Lisbon to the populous municipalities of Sintra and Amadora, is the busiest road in the country, with an average of 118,700 vehicles per day until September, an increase of nearly 4,000 compared to the same period in 2023. Following closely is the Via de Cintura Interna, which encircles the urban cores of Porto and Gaia, averaging about 96,500 vehicles/day, up by 1,440 from the previous year.
Traffic on the A5 (linking Lisbon to Cascais) saw an increase of 2,000 vehicles in 2024, totaling over 95,000. In the Lisbon region, the IC17, which circumvents the capital, recorded an average of nearly 88,000 vehicles daily.
Public Transport Trends
Interestingly, the rise in automobile traffic coincides with a significant and sustained increase in the use of public transport since 2022.
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