Eclipse: the media circus threatening to bring the AP7 to a standstill

The eclipse that has turned the AP7 into a nightmare

Vinaròs is gearing up for a show lasting one minute and 40 seconds. The town council has announced closures of roads leading to mountain areas, and the authorities are already warning of gridlock on the roads. The problem is not the eclipse itself, but everything around it: the traffic jams, the glasses bought months in advance and the terraces packed for an event that can be seen just as well from any open field facing west.

A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle or an excuse to boost sales

There are two possible readings. The first holds that a total eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime event and that the deployment is justified: it is not a Netflix series you can put off, you either watch it or miss it. The second is more sceptical: hard times for consumer spending and a campaign that has found its best megaphone in the sky. The date has been hammered home for weeks from every angle, and the crowd is responding.

Safety and fire: the other protagonists

The safety measures border on baffling. Access to the hermitage is being cut off to avoid crowds, yet the event can be watched from almost any terrace. And in the middle of wildfire season, the combination of bonfires, barbecues and cigarette butts is a powder keg. The real risk is not just eye damage: it is that the celebration could end up fuelling a forest fire.

The blackout will last less than two minutes, but the queue to leave Vinaròs will last considerably longer. Everyone can decide for themselves whether it was worth it.