The Altafulla City Council began last week to send the first fines from the traffic radars that have been operating since the beginning of 2026. The device located on Marquès de Tamarit street fines approximately 250 vehicles per week, around 35 per day, on a road where 21,000 cars pass.
The central data has a double interpretation. Only 1.2% of drivers exceed the limit, but the council maintains its focus on a minority that still drives well above 30 kilometers per hour on streets where there have already been incidents due to speeding and where one of the radars even detected a car at 93 kilometers per hour.
The Marquès de Tamarit radar fines 250 vehicles per week
Jordi Molinera, the mayor of Altafulla, defended that the figure confirms correct behavior in most cases. "This means that most people behave correctly behind the wheel and that they can be very calm," he stated.
The majority of sanctions are concentrated at night and during weekends. The system uses infrared at night and registers all vehicles exceeding 30 kilometers per hour.
Furthermore, the council estimates that the sanctioning pressure should decrease in the coming months. Before activation, previous tests detected about 2,500 weekly offenders, and many of them were doubling the permitted speed.
Among the fined drivers, 80% are vehicles from outside Altafulla and 20% are residents of the municipality. The revenue goes into a general fund, and the local government has not set any revenue projections.
The municipality placed the radars on a straight stretch and near schools
Altafulla installed two fixed radars and also maintains one mobile radar. The second fixed point is on Ronda d'Altafulla at the intersection with Caderneres street, while the mobile radar is used mainly in the summer in Baix a Mar when there are reports of car racing.
The location was not random. A municipal study prioritized a straight stretch prone to speeding and a main road near schools, in both cases within zones limited to 30 kilometers per hour.
The main objective is not to fine any minor speeding, but to prevent much higher speeds. The fine for doubling the limit is around 150 euros, and the city council wants no vehicle to exceed 50 kilometers per hour at these points.
Molinera maintained that the difference between driving at 50 or 60 kilometers per hour may seem small to the driver, but not to someone walking in the area. She also assured that the visible presence of the radar has reduced speed and made traffic flow more smoothly.
Altafulla adapted 14 speed bumps and is finalizing the link with Torredembarra
The installation of the radars was accompanied by other actions on the same street. In December, the city council modified 14 speed bumps on Marquès de Tamarit street to adjust them to DGT regulations following requests from residents and ambulance services.
Now, a lane for bicycles and pedestrians that links with Torredembarra is almost finished. The work is only pending the placement of fences.