Gregorio Serrano, ex-head of Spain’s DGT, has sharply criticized the state of Spanish roads, calling them 'absolutely lamentable.' He warns that neglecting maintenance is putting drivers at risk and damaging the country’s reputation.
Gregorio Serrano, who once led Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), has delivered a stark warning about the country’s deteriorating road network. In a recent interview, Serrano described the current state of Spanish roads as not merely concerning, but 'absolutely lamentable and unacceptable,' highlighting a crisis that he believes demands immediate government attention.
Serrano’s assessment is blunt: years of insufficient investment in road surfaces, signage, and safety barriers have left much of the network in disrepair. He argues that this neglect is not just an inconvenience for drivers, but a direct threat to road safety. According to Serrano, the proliferation of potholes, cracks, and worn-out surfaces—especially on secondary and interurban routes—has turned many stretches into hazardous traps, sharply increasing the risk of serious accidents and unintentional departures from the roadway.
El estado de nuestras carreteras no es preocupante, es absolutamente lamentable e impresentable.
He is particularly critical of the tendency to treat road maintenance as a dispensable budget item. Serrano insists that regular upkeep should be seen as a strategic investment in public safety, not an optional expense. Delaying preventive maintenance, he warns, only leads to much higher costs down the line, as emergency repairs on severely damaged roads are far more expensive than routine care. This approach, he says, also undermines the confidence of both everyday drivers and professional transporters who rely on Spain’s roads for their livelihoods.
Another point of contention is the growing gap between the strict standards imposed on drivers—such as technical inspections, environmental regulations, and speed limits—and the lack of reciprocal responsibility from authorities to provide safe, modern infrastructure. Poorly maintained roads accelerate wear on vehicles, from tires to suspension, leaving motorists frustrated as they pay taxes intended for mobility but see little return in road quality.
Serrano calls for a coordinated, nationwide response that transcends political divisions. With more than 160,000 kilometers of roads managed by various levels of government, he believes only a unified strategy can address the stark disparities in road conditions between regions. The lack of consistent maintenance standards, he notes, results in unequal levels of safety and comfort depending on where one drives.
He also highlights the broader consequences of neglect, such as reduced nighttime visibility and inadequate drainage during heavy rain—factors that significantly raise the risk of aquaplaning and multi-vehicle collisions. The impact is felt not only by private motorists but also by the logistics sector, as truck drivers face daily challenges navigating damaged routes. This erosion of infrastructure, Serrano warns, ultimately undermines Spain’s economic competitiveness.
Calls for urgent action are echoed by transport associations and road safety groups, who have long demanded a reversal of chronic underfunding for road maintenance. As noted in a recent analysis by russpain.com, Spain’s infrastructure challenges are not limited to roads; the country also lags behind in areas like urban charging solutions, further highlighting the need for comprehensive investment in transport networks. (see how Spain’s infrastructure gap extends to electric vehicle charging).
While the government has acknowledged the issue, concrete solutions remain slow to materialize. For now, Serrano’s intervention has reignited debate over the future of Spain’s roads—and whether the country can afford to ignore the mounting risks any longer.
