French roads are “not at all suitable”, warns environmentalist MEP Karima Delli

As the European Parliament votes on Tuesday on a text paving the way for the circulation of mega-trucks in the EU, the president of the Transport and Tourism Committee believes that adapting French roads would have a “gigantic” cost. .

The president of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee does not want mega-trucks on the roads. Neither in France, nor in the rest of the European Union (EU). “In France, the problem we have is that we do not have roads adapted to these mega-trucks at all”, underlines Karima Delli on France Inter. On Tuesday March 12, the European Parliament voted on a text paving the way for the circulation of these vehicles across the EU.

Long “25 meters” and weighing “60 tons”they will have “negative impacts”, insists the environmentalist MEP. Regarding “road infrastructure”, “we will have to redo everything on the first last kilometers: barriers, tunnels, roundabouts, level crossings”, she says. That implies “an additional cost for each of us”, which she describes as “gigantic”.

“An additional and real danger”

For her, these mega-trucks are also more dangerous. “Absolutely, because the braking distance of these machines is much greater, which could increase the risk of road accidents by 80%, which is enormous,” she says. On the other hand, “in terms of road safety, the constant increase in vehicles, particularly on the road, represents an additional and real danger.”

Karima Delli fears the arrival of “10 million more trucks on the roads in Europe”, if this text comes to fruition. Result, “6 million tonnes of CO2 per year” moreover. It also anticipates a reduction in rail freight to benefit these vehicles. Gold, “the train is good for the climate, it’s good for jobs”. In passing, she points out that France is lagging behind on this point. In France, “It represents between 9 to 10% [des marchandises transportées]” while “the European average is 17%”.

According to her, this text paving the way for the circulation of these vehicles across the EU provides a significant safeguard. “There will need to be a bilateral agreement which will be necessary to authorize the passage of a truck from one Member State to another,” she assures. For this reason, “France will be able to say no to mega-trucks”. “This is what will be decided in the votes,” Tuesday.