The municipal government has denied the figures released by a drivers' association, which indicated a collection of 273 million euros from traffic fines in 2025. According to the council, this figure refers to the total number of sanctions imposed, while the actual revenue collected by the municipal coffers was 112.4 million euros.
The Mobility Area explains that the association confuses “recognized rights” (processed sanctions) with the money that finally enters the treasury, after appeal processes and early payments. The amount of 273 million represents the total sum of all sanctions imposed during the year, a figure that always exceeds what is actually collected.
In 2025, the initial budget for fines was 208 million, but recognized rights rose to 273 million, a 31% increase. However, the effective revenue stood at 112.4 million, representing a 20.4% increase compared to the 93.3 million collected in 2024.
“"These variations between what is budgeted and what is finally recognized are common in local administration."
The Mobility Area recalled that in 2018 the deviation was even greater, with a budget of 136 million, recognized rights for 191 million, and an effective collection of only 83 million euros.
The City Council has also compared current management with previous periods, indicating that the record for sanctions in the last decade was registered in 2017, with almost 2.9 million fines, compared to the 2.4 million recorded last year. Part of the increase in the amount of sanctions is attributed to the modification of the Traffic Safety Law by the central government in 2022, which raised fines for improper access to Low Emission Zones (ZBE) from 90 to 200 euros.
