Transporters: damages for 250 million from driving bans in Tyrol

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Damage for 250 million euros to the Italian economy due to blockages and traffic bans on heavy transport in Tyrol. It is the estimate that Sigma NL, a spin off of the University of Genoa, studied on behalf of Uniontrasporti and the Chambers of Commerce of Trento and Bolzano.

Over the years, the Land of Tyrol has enacted a series of measures to the detriment of road freight transport, such as the night driving ban, the double night toll, the sectoral driving ban. The measures mainly concern transit traffic. For a new Euro 6 truck traveling from Bolzano to Munich it is forbidden to cross Tyrol at night, for example. A truck with origin or destination Tyrol, traveling from Brennersee (Austria) to Munich, can instead circulate without any restrictions.

Traffic bans

«The bans on the movement of heavy goods vehicles in Tyrol are in contradiction with Community law and endanger the free movement of goods in the European internal market. The European Commission must intervene», commented Paolo Borchia, MEP from Verona. Ivo Blandina, President of Uniontrasporti, added: «The damage caused to the Italian economy is enormous, it is therefore of priority importance to put an end to the measures in Tyrol, which have been illegitimate since at least 2020. For some time Uniontrasporti has been the spokesperson for alternative measures to improve the practicability of the Brenner corridor, such as, for example, dynamic speed limits for light vehicles throughout the corridor and variable tolls by time band and by Euro emission class”.

Railway alternative

As regards the alternative railway for the Brennero – Wörgl section (only 67 km as the crow flies, or 90 km if the road distance is measured), the presidents of the Chambers of Commerce of Trento and Bolzano, Giovanni Bort and Michl Ebner explained: “We are expressly in favor of transferring some traffic from road to rail. However, this must make economic sense. The Rolling Highway (RoLa) should only be used on long-distance routes, such as for example from Munich to Verona and vice versa, as well as at least for the Wörgl-Trento section. On the Wörgl – Brennersee section, on the other hand, it is not a valid alternative to the road, but only a political construction, which has its raison d’etre solely in the driving bans».