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| to limit, distribute and sell by auction | ||
| Alpine Crossing Exchange | ||
| 01.11.2007 - The Alpine Crossing Exchange is aimed at establishing an equitable distribution of a fixed number of heavy vehicle trips among the various Alpine passes and weekdays. The crossing rights will be auctioned in advance through an internet-supported exchange system. As with all limited goods and resources, the price will be fixed by demand. This way, not only will traffic jams and long waiting times for the trucks be avoided, but the population will also be protected from excessive disturbances along transalpine routes. In addition, this system will enable railway companies to become equal stakeholders in transalpine freight transport. > For the new website on the Alpine Crossing Exchange please > click here |
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A modal shift from road to rail would reduce the negative impacts of the heavy vehicle traffic in the Alpine region and therefore respect the needs of people and the environment. But Alpine countries are having difficulties to achieve this aim: In Austria the Ecopoints system has failed. In Switzerland, in spite of the clear mandate given by the Swiss population when it voted to accept the Alpine Initiative in 1994, the Swiss government has so far not implemented effective instruments to limit heavy vehicle traffic. And other countries like France, Italy and Slovenia have yet to take the necessary steps to limit alpine crossing traffic. At the moment there is no uniform system assuring transparency of costs in a market where prices could hardly be more different between road an rail. That is precisely where the Alpine Transit Exchange can fill the gap with a system of information, reservation and guidance to heavy freight vehicles crossing the Alps. The exchange, initiated by the Alpine Initiative, is aimed at: 1. Limitation The authorized number of heavy vehicle trips across the Alps will be limited by a decision made by the authorities. This limit can gradually be reduced to a level which will bring about a modal shift and protect citizens from negative impacts. 2. Distribution The authorized trips will be distributed among the various Alpine crossings and weekdays, on the basis of criteria such as safety and health factors affecting the people living along transit routes. 3. Auction The permits are auctioned periodically over the Alpine Crossing Exchange or distributed to the users of railway as bonuses free of charge (1 permit on a the road per unit of rail transportation). 4. Trade The acquired permits can be used or be resold over the internet-supported Alpine Crossing Exchange. The political authorities define the target, the rest is regulated by the market It is up to the political authorities to define the objective to be reached by the Alpine Crossing Exchange. They will have to fix the number of authorized heavy vehicle trips across the Alps, taking into account political objectives (modal shift) as well as environment protection, health and safety. The rest will be regulated by the market. The price is fixed according to the demand. The system is market-orientated, guarantees freedom of choice of means of transport, and is non-discriminatory as there will be no preferential treatment of nations or users’ groups. Advantage for the economy and the population The Alpine Transit Exchange will bring only advantages to the economy as well as to the people living along the transit routes. Carriers can plan their transport well in advance and calculate costs through the auctions of tradable permits at the exchange. Traffic jams caused by heavy goods vehicles, and their resulting costs, will be eliminated, as the traffic system will not be overloaded thanks to the limitation and distribution of the trips. Basically, the exchange will allow only trips for which transit rights have been allocated. Long waiting times, as in the case of the traditional reservation system, will be avoided, and punctual arrival times almost always guaranteed. Large and costly waiting areas are no longer necessary. The Alpine Crossing Exchange need not increase the overall cost of road transport, as it will eliminate the costs of wasted waiting times and uncertainty over the duration of trips. Moreover, the system will provide users with measurable advantages in the form of transparent and tangible decision parameters. If the Alpine Crossing Exchange is adopted, people living along the transit routes can breathe a sigh of relief. The number of trips will be limited to the number that is bearable for the population and the environment. Hauliers will therefore make sure they don’t make trips with empty trucks. Unnecessary journeys will be eliminated. New competitiveness for the railways The auction of permits, together with the remaining transport costs, will create a total price that will be close to that of rail transport. That means road transport’s existing price advantage over rail will be largely wiped out. Since the number of transit permits and their price will be known in advance, there will be a strong incentive for carriers to reorganize the logistics of their transport operations in the long term. The railways will no longer have to play the role of “overflow outlet” by providing a temporary rolling road, but they could fully exploit their advantages in combined traffic and traditional wagonload traffic. The information system combined with the internet-supported exchange would not only inform hauliers about their options in the event of bottlenecks on the road and about alternatives using rail, but would also enable direct bookings to be made. A solution for the whole Alpine area The Alpine Crossing Exchange can be applied to the whole Alpine arc and all north-south traffic. This would help in deterring detour traffic. The system could be combined with the heavy goods vehicle charge, plus any road tolls and existing tunnel charges. A Euro-compatible solution Free market economy, freedom of choice of means of transport and non-discrimination are the cornerstones of the European Union’s Common Transport Policy. The Alpine Crossing Exchange is totally compatible with these principles. In addition, the various accidents on Alpine road tunnels involving heavy vehicles, which have caused certain important axes to be closed for several months, have encouraged a shift in thinking and a sense of solidarity among the countries concerned. The European Union depends on properly functioning transport systems for its economic activities and cannot afford to have main traffic axes across the Alps out of service for several months or even years. This new realization in transport policy, equally important for the Alpine Crossing Exchange, has found expression in various documents. The Alpine Convention, ratified by the EU in 1996, supports market-based incentives for controlling traffic, as long as they don’t lead to discrimination. A study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 2001 recognized the particular sensitivity of the Alps and recommended additional measures for their protection, going as far as expressing the need for traffic demand-management. The EU white paper on the future of the Common Transport Policy, published in September 2001, also goes in the same direction. In the Zurich Declaration signed by Europe’s transport ministers on 30 November 2001, approval was given to using one-way traffic to limit vehicle levels, to speed limits, and to minimum distances between vehicles. All EU countries must realize that Alpine road traffic could collapse one day if reductions of the numbers of Alpine transits are not implemented. The traffic could suffocate on its own, or be paralysed following a new catastrophe or the opposition of local people. The Alpine Crossing Exchange would partly replace the need for the road charge for sensitive regions proposed by the EU Commission in its white paper. It is a market-orientated instrument which does not leave political transport objectives to market forces, but calls for the application of necessary road transport prices in order to reach a stated objective. It is an instrument for the regulation of traffic volume by putting tradable transit permits up for auction. The ecological objective fixed by the political authorities will be reached with a minimum of socio-economical costs. |
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> The Alpine Crossing Exchange is consistent with the free market economy, guarantees freedom of choice of means of transport, and is non-discriminatory as no nation or users’ group benefits from preferential treatment. > The Alpine Crossing Exchange can be combined with the heavy goods vehicle charge, road tolls and existing tunnel charges. > The Alpine Crossing Exchange is consistent with the market economy, but does not leave the definition of the objectives of transport policy to market forces. |
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