Truck traffic in Europe has a scapegoat: the Brenner Pass. Switzerland limits transit with tolls and restrictions, but the freight is diverted towards Austria and Italy, concentrating pollution and noise in a few valleys. European hypocrisy is evident: fast trade is prioritized over the health of residents, who bear the invisible toll of breathing diesel.
A per-kilometer toll system as a technical solution 🚛
The answer is not to raise local tolls, but to implement a coordinated per-kilometer toll system along the entire route, with time restrictions for trucks. This would force companies to internalize the real cost of pollution and noise. Additionally, part of the traffic must be shifted to rail, using direct economic incentives. Without a homogeneous fee network, the Brenner will continue to be the dumping ground for European transport.
The invisible truck driver paying for diesel with lung health 😷
While politicians toast to the single market, the residents of the Brenner do yoga with FFP2 masks. The European solution seems to be: let the bad air go to the Alps, the wind will sweep it away there. Or not. The curious thing is that no one proposes that companies pay the real cost of each kilometer traveled. Perhaps because then trade would no longer be so cheap... for them.