Alpine traffic overload

The Alpine countries are severely impacted by the increasing load of transit traffic. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, compared to flatter areas, meteorological conditions can significantly amplify pollution and noise along the main Alpine roads. Experts from universities and research centres in Germany, Austria, Italy and France have set up ALPNAP, an Alpine network which uses scientific methods to support measures to reduce noise and pollution levels in the Alps.

The European project is coordinated by the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics. “Our aim was not simply to shift the traffic load to other major arteries but to reduce its impact on residents,” Dr. Dietrich Heimann, project director at the DLR, emphasises. The scenario calculations yielded some surprising results: for example, transferring goods traffic from road to rail would indeed reduce the impact of pollution and noise for a large proportion of the population, but at a price for those living in the vicinity of railway lines, who would suffer more noise. Other experiments revealed that noise barrier walls along motorways in valleys provide only limited protection for residents on the mountain slopes and that certain meteorological conditions actually amplify the noise and pollution. Based on these findings, new traffic guidance systems can now be adjusted for weather conditions to prevent peak impact.

The ALPNAP partners have compiled their findings in a handbook. Practical recommendations support the authorities in planning measures such as tolls, speed limits or limited driving bans for heavy goods vehicles. Implementing such measures, however, also requires the corresponding political will and acceptance by players in the transport industry, as Heimann emphasises.