An improved infrastructure for traffic checks, additional focus checks by the police and extensive technical checks: “This is the only way to ensure the safety of Tyrol’s roads and the traffic flow in the best possible way,” emphasised LH Günther Platter during the presentation of a package of checks for heavy goods transport.
In this context, on 18 January, the government purchased six wheel load scales for mobile truck checks, and the planning and introduction of a truck dosage on the B 179 Fernpasstraße (southbound at the Musau checkpoint), the purchase of a container to improve the infrastructure at the traffic check point at B 179 Nassereith, the planning of additional technical checks in cooperation with the Police in Tyrol and the intensification of the technical roadside inspections in cooperation with Asfinag.
In addition there will be the following main checks by the Tyrolean police:
- Establishing a heavy traffic check group Reutte / Imst effective 1st of February 2019 to intensify the heavy traffic checks on the Fernpassstrecke (inter-district coordination under the leadership of the police station Reutte, several hours daily on the B179, primarily check point Musau and checkpoint Nassereith, but also on the B 189, support by regional transport department, test train, technician)
- Dosing of the heavy traffic on the A12 in Kufstein-Nord on days specified by the state of Tyrol, when the traffic and supply security within Tyrol will be endangered due to traffic congestion (17 dosing days in the 1st half of 2019)
- Checking compliance with special driving restrictions on Saturdays during the holiday season in winter and summer on the A12 and A13 motorways (January / February / March or July August)
- Joint operations with the Financial Police to detect cases of social and wage dumping (120 working days, in all districts of Tyrol)
- Joint check assignments with the technical inspection train of Asfinag (minimum of 114 working days) and the public technicians (at least 170 working days)
- Stricter checks at the six traffic check stations in Tyrol; Monitoring compliance with numerous special regulations (Brenner / Radfeld / Kundl / Musau / Nauders / Leisach)
- Special emphasis on small trucks on motorways and national roads (concentrated operations plus daily patrol service)
- Special operations on the Sectoral Driving Ban on national roads (daily)
- Priority checks on dangerous goods traffic (daily)
- Surveillance focus on truck overhaul bans on the A12 and A13 motorways, compliance with the night-time driving speed on A12 and A13, compliance with driving and rest time regulations / EU social legislation and the posting of the weekly rest outside of HGVs (concentrated missions plus daily patrol duty)
The public experts and the police see “pulping” along the long-distance route as an essential safety hazard: there are more and more dangerous traffic situations in connection with slower moving HGVs. A dosing system at the Musau check center is intended to equalize truck traffic by means of a traffic light signal system and thereby reduce dangerous moments. By doing so, we will increase safety and fluidity on this segment of the road,” vice governor Ingrid Felipe outlined the plans. The truck dosage is tested on some pilot days, EUR 150,000 are provided for the planning and implementation.
The province of Tyrol has in comparison with the other federal states the densest check network with six fully equipped traffic check stations (A13 Brenner, A12 Radfeld, A12 Kundl, B 179 Musau, B 180 Nauders and B 100 Leisach) and various additional check areas along major national roads. (B 177 Scharnitz, B 187 Ehrwald, B 178 Going, B 178 Itter, B 173 Schwoich, B 179 Nassereith and B 181 Achenwald).
“The police checks are always about the driver, the drive and the vehicle. Therefore, the driver’s ability to drive, compliance with EU social legislation, the required driving and EU licenses, but also the observance of sectoral driving restrictions, weekend, special and night driving bans or the entire technical condition of the vehicle will be checked,” said the director of the traffic police Markus Widmann. Special attention is paid to the adherence to the truck distances, the overtaking prohibition and the day or night driving speed. Joint operations with the Financial Police are designed to combat social and wage dumping in freight transport.