Key Bodies/Results

Heavy Vehicle Transport Management Instruments

Under the Swiss presidency the working group “Control and Regulation of Road Traffic” was tasked with dealing with the issue of ensuring the efficiency and safety of road infrastructure in two sub-groups:

1. Traffic Management Systems
Between 2005 and 2006 the following topics were dealt with under the French presidency:

• Survey and
• Analysis of management systems in the Alpine region, with an examination of both the technical and political dimensions of the systems.
• Possibilities for alternative management systems (Alpine Crossing Exchange, reservation system, etc.)

Building on the results of the study

• A recommendation was made to deepen cooperation between the Alpine states with the immediate reciprocal exchange of information in the event of crisis.
• The management systems currently in use are tailored to the specific local situation and it is not therefore practical to apply them to other crossings and other Alpine states.
• A joint study to examine alternative management systems for the Alpine region is suggested.

Under the Austrian presidency and in accordance with an instruction from the Conference of Ministers in Lyon 2006 tenders to carry out a study were invited from throughout the European Union. The purpose of the study and the more detailed Presidential Paper was to carry out an in-depth scientific analysis of five transport management systems (defined as sustainable, environmentally-friendly systems which take into account road safety).  The results of this study would then be used to provide the Conference of Transport Ministers of the Zurich Process meeting in Vienna under the Austrian presidency with an additional decision-making basis for the selection of a transport management system for the Alpine countries Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria. The study essentially concluded that the three traffic management systems Alpine Crossing Exchange, Trading of Emission Rights and Toll Modelling Systems should now be examined in greater detail with regard to their possible implementation with due consideration also being given to legal issues, such as possible compatibility with EU law.

Latest developments:
Based upon this mandate of the Minister’s conference of Vienna, the Working Group on Heavy Vehicle Transport Management Instruments (Advisory Board) was entrusted by the Steering Committee to carry out a study concerning the alignment of the heavy traffic management systems ACE, AETS and TOLL+ on a comparable scientific, technical and operational level (so called „ALBATRAS“-Study).

> Download: final report of the „ALBATRAS“-Study

2. Compliance with Regulations
The current regulations governing road freight traffic as well as control activities and penal practices were also compiled and analysed between 2005 and 2006 under the Swiss presidency. The experts reached the conclusion that, in terms of road safety, adequate regulations and directives are in place, the degree to which compliance is achieved should be increased by means of improved controls.
In this connection, it was recommended that the Alpine states carry out joint activities, such as, concerted information campaigns in cooperation with infrastructure and tunnel operators, coordination of control methods and the introduction of concerted control campaigns (in particular with regard to hazardous goods), the use of uniform safety distances in tunnels and the harmonisation of penalties.

Downloads

>> Final Report: suivi de Zurich.pdf (in german language)