Florence-Pisa-Livorno, the freeway becomes toll for lorries: hauliers protest – Corriere.it
Motorists rejoice and hope for a miracle that has been awaited for decades. The truck drivers rebel, cry scandal, and announce sensational style initiatives Convoy the 1978 cult film in which the truck drivers create a kilometer-long snake in protest. In short, the good news that the president of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, has recently announced, seems destined to cause divisions and even very heavy protests. What’s the good news? The birth of Tuscany Roadsan in-house company of the Tuscany Region to finally be managed properly Florence-Pisa-Livorno expressway102 kilometers often filled with passion for continuous maintenance work, often poorly performed, and construction sites open in the worst periods.
The toll for lorries on the Florence-Pisa-Livorno line
But the announcement was followed by the hypothesis, which now seems to be reality, to introduce a toll for lorries which, according to the Region’s calculations, would bring in more than 14 million euros a year. With this money, in addition to ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, the safety of the arterial road, one of the busiest in Italy, would be increased, and in some stretches third lanes would be built and an emergency lane along the entire route which could increase the traffic limit. speeds from 90 to 110 kilometers per hour. Cars, on the other hand, would continue to have free entry seeing decrease access to trucks. The toll would cost truck drivers 30% less than the Firenze-Mare, Eugenio Giani explained.
The protest of the hauliers: let’s block the road
And yes, because there is also a motorway that connects the coast to the Tuscan capital, albeit with an increase in kilometres, and which some consider more than adequate for trucks. The response of the hauliers was immediate and not at all accommodating. We make ourselves heard in every way even at the cost of blocking the road, announced the head of the road hauliers of the Cna Michele Santoni. Also emphasizing that the freeway is essential for truck drivers because it touches some cities, such as Pontedera (Piaggio headquarters), where the sector works a lot.
political mediation
The Tuscany Region is looking for mediation. Which, however, appears difficult also because the toll hypothesis for trucks also divides the majority party, the Democratic Party. Vincenzo Ceccarelli, group leader of the Democrats in the regional council, announced that he was perplexed and there are many in the party who have stomach aches and fear a loss of consensus. The regional councilor for infrastructures, Stefano Baccelli, throws water on the fire. He talks about a feasible and appropriate business plan. Because it will lead to a real paradigm shift. – explains the administrator – To date, Fi-Pi-Li is managed by a heterogeneous set of subjects. The Region is the owner, the management delegated to the Metropolitan City of Florence but thanks to an agreement with the provinces of Pisa and Livorno and the Region, the Metropolitan City manages the Fi-Pi-Li in terms of ordinary maintenance through the Global service of Avr and the investments are made with resources from the Tuscany Region in favor of the Metropolitan City of Florence. A complex system that with the establishment of the new company would be greatly relieved. Baccelli then announced investments in the order of 90 million euros thanks to the new revenues.