Torrevieja witnessed significant traffic congestion on Friday, coinciding with the Summer Parade and the feast of the Virgen de Agosto, marking one of the busiest tourist days of the year. Many visitors found themselves unable to leave the new underground car park, which holds six hundred spaces, as the parade concluded, with some stuck for as long as two hours amidst a tense atmosphere exacerbated by excessive heat and vehicle fumes.

Authorities received numerous calls to the emergency services, yet they were not passed on to local police or the Civil Guard, as they deemed the situation to be a traffic issue exclusively. The operators of the car park, newly opened just this summer, were unable to alleviate the situation, with the nearby access roundabout completely overcrowded due to city traffic.

Federico Alarcón, the local councillor for Security, acknowledged that a combination of factors contributed to the chaos, including the high tourist occupancy and the parade’s disruption of usual traffic flows. The event blocked key alternate routes and caused overflow at various parking facilities, which were already full, leading many motorists to remain stranded as they tried to reach Marina Salinas.

The city council is actively pursuing strategies to mitigate summer traffic congestion, including the implementation of paid peripheral park and ride schemes combined with improved public transport services. Additionally, improvements are being planned for the access roundabout to enhance traffic capacity, particularly important as developments at the port affect local transit routes. With ongoing traffic challenges, the future remains uncertain for vehicular movement in the area.