T&E study: HGVs cause disproportionate damage
Thu 12 February 2009
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A European Federation for Transport and Evironment (T&E) commissioned study by Dutch consultants CE Delft has concluded that heavy good vehicles contribute disproportionate environmental and safety damage than road share used. The study is published as the European Commission discusses draft proposals, submitted last July, to revise the Eurovignette Directive. Under current legislation, EU governments cannot charge road hauliers more than the cost of road infrastructure upkeep. Heavy commercial vehicles represent 3% of total road vehicles and 7% of total vehicle kilometres. However, the report by CE Delft shows the trucks are responsible for 20% of the congestion, twice the number of road deaths per kilometre than passenger cars, and that their carbon dioxide emissions will increase by 54% by 2030.
The Eurovignette Directive harmonises levy systems - vehicle taxes, tolls and charges relating to the use of road infrastructure - and establishes fair mechanisms for charging infrastructure costs to hauliers. The proposed changes to the Directive are presently going through the Commission's legislative procedures.
Some MEPs have proposed changes to the Eurovignette directive are unfair to the road haulage industry because of the size of the overall vehicle fleet, NGOs believe the revisions lack teeth. T&E director Jos Dings said: 'It's not even as if the proposed revision of the Eurovignette directive will make charges to cover external costs obligatory. It is only an 'enabling' directive which says what member states can and can't charge for – national governments will have the final decision on whether they charge for external costs. "
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