Express operators in Europe are warning that EU plans to revise the ‘Eurovignette’ scheme for roadtolls on trucks could hit the express sector unfairly and push up operating costs.
The European Express Association (EEA), which represents the major international expresscompanies, said that changes by the European Parliament’s Transport Committee to the voluntaryEurovignette scheme would effectively raise costs, failed to tackle congestion reduction and onlypartly ensured that charging revenues would be re-invested in the continent’s road infrastructure.
Under the EU Eurovignette directive, member states can introduce charging schemes for heavygoods vehicles over 12 tonnes. From 2012 onwards, the directive is due to be extended to coverlight goods vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 12 tonnes. The directive is not mandatory but setsthe broad rules for countries that decide to introduce road charging for trucks. At present, acommon electronic Eurovignette scheme is in force in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark andSweden, while other EU states have their own national road charging systems.
On April 12, the EP’s Transport Committee approved new rules for road tolls for the roadhaulage sector. These included permitting countries to charge up to 200 per cent of the standardtolls at peak times and extending the maximum toll charging time per day to eight hours. However,this should be done in an overall ‘ revenue-neutral’ way by reducing tolls at other times. Therecould also be some exemptions for lighter vehicles between 3.5 and 12 tonnes.
One key change the MEPs want is that road tolls should in future also cover ‘external costs’such as noise and air pollution as well. At present they only cover road infrastructure costs. Thiswould introduce the ‘ polluter pays’ principle into road tolls in Europe. The introduction ofdistance-based charging, as opposed to time-based tolls, would remain optional. MEPs also wantcountries to be obliged to re-invest toll revenues in the transport infrastructure, including 15per cent for trans-European transport networks.
However, the Council of Ministers, representing European governments, only wants a maximumtoll charge of 175 per cent, toll charging for five hours a day at most and is against ‘ring-fencing’ the toll revenues for transport expenditure. The European Parliament and memberstates will now hold compromise talks with the aim of securing an agreement by June.
In response, the Brussels-based EEA said the Transport Committee had taken “a first step inthe right direction by obliging Member States to use revenues mainly for road transport projects”.Toll revenues should ‘earmarked’ for transport spending, it said. “Express companies are keen toreduce the external costs of transport, notably through regular fleet renewal. These industryefforts need to be complemented through public investments in infrastructure and technology,” theEEA said. But the Transport Committee’s text failed to meet the initial objectives of the revision,most importantly the reduction of external costs and the greening of European transport, accordingto the association.
“In particular, the variation of the infrastructure charge by 200 per cent during peak hoursin order to fight congestion will penalise the express industry without solving the congestionproblem. By increasing the peak hours per day to 8 hours, the entire operational timeframe of theexpress industry now falls under the new scope. With an obligation to meet customers’ demands (e.g.delivery during working hours) while respecting regulatory patterns (e.g. night ban of deliveries),express companies would therefore face significantly higher charges for demand-driven deliveries incongested time zones without being able to shift operations to off-peak hours,” the EEA stated.Revenue neutrality would not apply to the express industry since its road operations were onlyconducted during peak hours.
“The variation is in fact a congestion charge in disguise which fails to tackle the source ofcongestion and provide credible alternative solutions. The very complex issue of congestion shouldonly be addressed by an integrated approach putting together all road users (including passengers,representing 90 per cent of road usage) and the different stakeholders of the supply chain,” theassociation urged. The EEA also regretted the weak provisions regarding the interoperability ofelectronic tolling systems that would lead to high administrative and operational costs forcarriers.
In contrast, the environmental lobby group Transport and Environment criticised the TransportCommittee’s changes as not going far enough to charge the industry for the pollution it caused.According to the organisation, the agreement “is still a long way from allowing countries to chargethe full costs of the damage that road freight transport causes, including congestion and climatechange. Failing to tackle the problem of congestion, including an opt-out for charging lightertrucks (3.5 to 12 tonnes) and further limiting additional noise costs in mountainous areas are someof the gaps left open by the decision”.
