The celebration of the football World Cup completely altered mobility in Madrid. While the centre collapsed, the outskirts experienced a day of smooth traffic.
The Spanish National Team's victory in the World Cup transformed the capital's routine for 48 hours, but the road network responded in an atypical manner. Despite the street closures organised for the champions' parade, the major congestion that was anticipated in the city did not materialise due to a drastic reduction in everyday traffic in most neighbourhoods.
This phenomenon was particularly evident during the broadcast of the match, when the flow of vehicles decreased by between 32% and 35% compared to an ordinary Sunday. This exodus of cars on the streets allowed the average speed to increase by 14% during the night, a trend of fluidity that continued even the next day during the peak hours of the National Team's parade.
The tranquillity of the outskirts was not felt in the city centre. The passage of the players' bus clogged main streets such as Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, and Jerónimos, where cars moved 20% slower than usual, compounded by constant braking in the Goya area due to pedestrian crossings.
This stop-and-go traffic ultimately took its toll on the environment during the early hours. Moving so slowly and braking constantly caused fuel consumption in cars to surge by 59% and pollutant emissions to rise by nearly 50% compared to a normal day.
The behaviour of Madrid drivers during the event demonstrated how civic self-regulation can prevent congestion during major events. While the centre was secured to allow the team bus to pass, peripheral districts like Cuatro Caminos recorded 10% fewer trips and a flow rate higher than any ordinary workday.
The monitoring of this atypical day on the asphalt was made possible thanks to a traffic pattern study conducted by the connected mobility company Geotab, which analysed anonymised data from thousands of cars and commercial vehicles throughout the celebrations in the capital.
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