Cristina Alcañiz, head of Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Housing, and Mobility at the Alcalá de Henares City Council, has sent a request to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). The aim is to postpone the implementation of the Bus-VAO lane on the A-2 highway until there are solid guarantees that the measure will not exacerbate the mobility problems already affecting residents of Alcalá de Henares and the entire Henares Corridor.
This request follows the announcement of the imminent launch of the new system, scheduled for this summer, after recent tests on panels and luminous signage. The councilor warned about the need to approach an initiative of this magnitude without improvisation, ensuring clear information for users and effective coordination with the involved municipalities.
Alcañiz recalled that the Alcalá de Henares City Council supports public transport and sustainable mobility, but emphasized that this should not be achieved at the expense of generating more congestion and uncertainty for those who use the A-2 daily for work or study.
The municipal government's main concern, according to Alcañiz, is that the Bus-VAO lane does not add a new lane but reserves the left one at certain times, which could reduce the capacity of general traffic on a road already saturated during peak hours. She called for "common sense," differentiating between creating an additional lane and reducing capacity on a strained road, demanding proof that the solution will not create a new problem.
The councilor urged Minister Óscar Puente and the DGT to publish operational data, projected traffic scenarios, the implementation calendar, driver information measures, and protocols for potential collapses. She requested an alternative plan with relief measures, such as the possible temporary opening of the R-2 in case of severe congestion.
Alcañiz added that residents of Alcalá have long endured issues with Cercanías commuter trains and access problems to Madrid, and a measure affecting thousands of daily commutes cannot be accepted without guarantees, transparency, or listening to affected municipalities. She also expressed doubts about the system's design, coexistence with interurban buses, and the concentration of vehicles in only two lanes during peak traffic pressure.
The A-2 is a vital artery for Alcalá de Henares and the Corredor, and any decision must be made with technical rigor, institutional coordination, and respect for residents. The request is simple: do not launch it until there are sufficient guarantees that it will not worsen mobility. Alcañiz concluded by calling for an urgent meeting with affected municipalities to analyze the measure's impact and agree on a safe, progressive implementation.
“"Guarantees first, then implementation. Alcalá cannot be a passive bystander in a decision that directly affects thousands of residents."
Meanwhile, Más Madrid Alcalá criticized the PP for rejecting a similar motion in February, coordinated with other municipalities in the Corredor and presented to the Assembly of Madrid. That motion requested the suspension of the infrastructure until the Regional Transport Consortium implemented sufficient shuttle buses to Avenida de América and the toll on the R-2 was temporarily removed.
Más Madrid expressed surprise at the PP's change of stance, recalling that the Bus-VAO lane initiative originated from Mariano Rajoy's government in 2017, and that the PP of the Community of Madrid defended this model in 2019. According to spokesperson Rosa Romero, this shift highlights the PP's inability to govern without opposing the Spanish Government and their difficulty in demanding improvements in interurban public transport.
Más Madrid noted that the implementation of this infrastructure was included in the PP's electoral programs, both by Ayuso in 2019 and Piquet in 2023, and demanded explanations for this change of opinion, calling it "wishy-washy."
