The rail industry has vehemently opposed the Commission’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD), which would allow gigaliners or mega trucks to dominate the European transport sector price-wise and capacity-wise. Apart from the industry, however, such policies also concern the public, considering they could heavily impact life quality in many ways. Is the European public aware of what’s at stake in the specific case?
The answer to this question appears to be more pronounced than expected. A survey conducted among more than 8,000 participants from countries like Germany, Belgium, France, Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Spain produced a dual outcome: first of all, the majority of the respondents answered that they were not aware of what ‘mega trucks’ were and what the policies attempting to boost their deployment and circulation could produce.
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More importantly, after they were provided with a thorough explanation of the technical terms and focal points of the EU’s policies, most respondents opposed the directive and its possible outcomes. Specifically, according to the survey’s findings, as shared by Rail Freight Forward, “close to 85 per cent of citizens recognised the safety risks that ‘mega trucks’ can pose to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, and the impact on public budgets.”
At the same time, 75 per cent of the participants believe that introducing mega trucks could reduce rail freight transport in countries where rail is established as the dominant transport mode. 6 out of 10 citizens underlined that “those countries should not allow the circulation of mega trucks”. Finally, 94 per cent of the participants considered it essential to “promote combined transport as an alternative solution to introducing mega trucks.”
As the detailed survey highlights, one out of two Europeans is opposed to the ‘mega trucks’, with opposition being more vigorous in countries such as France, Italy and Austria.
What is the key message?
The key message in this case is clear: the EU, via its institutions, Parliament and Councils, is promoting policies supposed to make the European transport sector more efficient, greener and fair for all transport modes. Everyone involved in this process agrees that most ideas in place and steps taken have the best intentions.
However, there is also a thorn in the side of those policies. Specifically, this concerns communication and keeping everyone on the same page with the common good as a focus. Given the responses of thousands of EU citizens, the EU not only fails to incorporate the feedback that the rail industry provides on certain directive amendments, but it is also quite far from what its citizens would expect from its policies.
Simply put, policies of all kinds, especially transport policies that are supposed to become Europe’s green backbone, should be more transparent, inclusive and interactive regarding input from concerned parties. This way, the EU’s policies will serve the common good and the European environment and economy instead of creating more controversies and discrepancies.
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