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22,000 Trucks pass through the tunnel in the week following the Frejus tunnel closure

featured in News & reviews Author Ellie Mahoney, Chamonix Editor Updated

Now that the roadworks at the entrance to the Mont Blanc tunnel have been completed access is even quicker than usual for the thousands of trucks which continue to head through the Mont Blanc, despite protests from local residents. To compound matters a truck had to stop in the tunnel as it started to smoke yesterday morning.

Although there are two distinct camps, those for and against the trucks, there is a definite concern shared by all surrounding the likeliness of another fire inside the tunnel. Despite the best efforts by the tunnel operators with all the safety precautions being taken, there are still 22,000 trucks a week passing through an infrastructure which isn't sufficiently suitable. It is simply a matter of probabilities.

Yesterday at 2a.m. an Italian HGV transporting rice, just a 1000m from the entrance in a scene reminiscent of the 1999 tragedy, began smoking and had to stop in a lay-by in the tunnel, problems with the turbo-charger being cited by the tunnel operators as the cause. What is surprising is that all trucks have to pass a scan which detects over-heating just before the entrance to the tunnel. Gendarmerie (police) sources claim the problem is endemic in all trucks and is caused by overheating of the clutch.

Response to the latest incident was swift once the problem became apparent: red traffic lights were activated, barriers came down, and warnings for drivers to exit their vehicles and to make for the nearest protection shelter.

The tailbacks, already longest from Tuesdays through to Thursdays, caused as a result of the incident took until midnight last night to return to normal. Double rows of trucks were stock-piled on the motorway yesterday, whilst car drivers had to be re-routed through A-roads - having already paid €1,60 in tolls for the privilege of using the motorway: its business as usual for some!

Not helping matters, news came yesterday that existing rail infrastructures could reduce the traffic by 1,800 trucks per day through the tunnel. Speaking with local opponents of the trucks the politics of transportation is in a shocking state and the free transit of goods between countries is so nonsensical that identical products are being moved from the same countries and back the other way, in many cases benefiting from EU subsidies for crossing borders. The seemingly low cost of road transport is a false economy as the real price is paid by individuals' taxes towards the maintenance of road network, not by the businesses using it. If road transportation were more expensive to businesses decisions to transport goods would be more carefully considered and as well as what alternative transport methods might be more suitable or cost-effective.

In Chamonix, on a local level, tensions are mounting between those for and against the trucks and publicity surrounding the protestors, with many businesses wishing the opponents would simply go away. Early season takings for businesses in Chamonix are down as tourist bookings are cancelled amid fears that the valley is polluted with the trucks.

Whilst the area, especially near to the main road, is undoubtedly more polluted than it should be (but not more so than in a town or city) it is still possible to live and enjoy the area almost as normal at the moment - the pollution problems are worst in winter when the fumes cannot rise out of the valley. Therefore there is no real reason for tourists not to continue to come.

Nevertheless, amidst the traffic jams, noise, and higher pollution levels, the view to stop the protestors and to ignore the problems is seemingly rather a short sighted one. Perhaps if local businesses were impacted more would be done to restore a more sensible balance of traffic on the roads which would be better for the resort and its image as a outdoor sports mecca. Long-term an attitude of head-burying will not resolve the issues and preserve this natural heritage spot.

Leaving some hoping for a non-fatal fire in the Mont-Blanc tunnel to bring the solution to the issues....