Zurich Process. Incident Management in the Alpine Area For the attention of the Ministers of Transport of the Zurich Process

Transcription

1 Zurich Process Incident Management in the Alpine Area For the attention of the Ministers of Transport of the Zurich Process Final Version, 6 February

2 Table of Contents 1. Mandate Working procedure Approach... 4 Definition of incident... 4 Definition of axes... 4 Petition to the Ministers of Transport Incident and situation reporting... 5 Introduction... 5 Procedure... 6 Petition to the Ministers of Transport Web site for alpine transit traffic... 7 Introduction... 7 Procedure... 8 Petition to the Ministers of Transport Measures for incident management in the region of the Alps Introduction General approach Categories of measures Petition to the Executive Committee Summary of petitions Approach Incident and situation reporting Web site for alpine transit traffic Measures for incident management in the region of the Alps

3 1. Mandate At their conference on 20 October 2006, the Transport Ministers of countries in the region of the Alps adopted the following resolution: On some of the major road axes through the Alps, traffic control measures are in use that are adapted as necessary to special situations, but which cannot be systematically extended in a suitable manner. In order to overcome crisis situations that result from the lengthy closure of transalpine axes and minimise the impacts on the local population and the environment, the Transport Ministers of the countries in the region of the Alps have decided to request an examination of the principles, timetable and prerequisites for developing a comprehensive emergency intervention plan for routes through the Alps. At its meeting held on 21 December 2006 in Vienna, the Executive Committee entrusted Switzerland with the task of forming a workgroup for the purpose of carrying out the requested work. 2. Working procedure The workgroup, which is chaired by Willy Burgunder (Deputy Director of the Swiss Federal Roads Office), comprises representatives of all countries in the region of the Alps involved in the Zurich Process. It convened eight times (three meetings in Switzerland, and one each in France, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Germany), designated English as its official working language, and kept detailed minutes of all meetings. In accordance with the mandate outlined above, the workgroup focused on three main issues, each of which is dealt in one of the following chapters (sections 4 to 6 below): Incident and situation reporting Web site for alpine transit traffic Measures for incident management in the region of the Alps 3

4 The respective comments by the Executive Committee were consistently brought into the process. 3. Approach Definition of incident The Workgroup on Incident Management in the Alpine Area defines an incident as follows: The term incident refers to the immediate threat or actual occurrence of an unexpected event interfering with normal traffic flow on a main transalpine axis with a risk to block this axis for at least 48 hours that might have an impact on the neighbouring countries. This definition only applies to events that have significant impacts on the neighbouring countries. At this stage it does not apply to planned interference with traffic flow, e.g. scheduled renovation or reconstruction work. As a rule, it may be assumed that incidents that have a relatively short-term impact and can normally be dealt with by the police and emergency services of the country affected, are not covered by this definition. Possible incidents in the sense of this definition are for instance natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, rock falls, floods or avalanches as well as technical incidents such as collapsed buildings or severe accidents with damage to infrastructure, as well as incidents resulting from activities such as strikes or terrorist attacks. Definition of axes The focus of the workgroup does not encompass the entire road network in the region of the Alps, but only the main road transit axes. These are: Nice-Ventimiglia Axis (FR-IT) Fréjus Axis (FR-IT) Mont Blanc Axis (FR-IT) Great Saint Bernard Axis (FR-CH-IT) 4

5 Simplon Axis (CH-IT) Gotthard Axis (DE/FR-CH-IT) San Bernardino Axis (DE/AT-CH-IT) Brenner Axis (DE-AT-IT) Tauern Axis (DE-AT-SI) Phyrn Axis (DE-AT-SI) South Corridor Axis (AT-IT) Petition to the Ministers of Transport The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to adopt the following: - - Definition of the term incident - Definition of the main transit axes 4. Incident and situation reporting Introduction When an incident as defined in chapter 3.1 occurs somewhere in the region of the Alps there currently is no standardised information system in use between all the involved countries. EuroReg projects such as CORVETTE or SERTI made first steps towards an exchange of information between different countries at the political, strategic and organisational levels. In view of the level of connectivity between the alpine axes, however, the exchange of information needs to be further optimised. A standardised incident and situation reporting system will guarantee the efficient and precise communication of information between the countries involved, while keeping costs and time requirements to a minimum. In this context the workgroup will closely monitor the developments and activities, and adopt the tools within the European EasyWay project (Appendix 2) in order to avoid redundancies. The EasyWay platform could prove to be very useful for carrying out the pending activities 5

6 described below. Over 20 states are involved in the EasyWay project, including Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Slovenia, plus Switzerland as an observer. Procedure The aim behind incident and situation reporting is to respond, in the event that an incident should occur, by communicating information about the incident and the expected duration of the interruption to traffic flow, to the countries in the region of the Alps in a standardised form and by the quickest possible means. It is also necessary to ensure that a standardised communication process is established within the countries concerned that provides all relevant recipients with the necessary information. Therefore, a manual containing detailed information on the communication process is to be developed. Managing the information and communication processes is the responsibility of the country in which the incident occurred. This applies until the problem has been solved and the overall process has been concluded 1) Figure 4.1:Incident Reporting: 3-level communication process 6

7 Each country designates a national contact point (NCP) that is manned round the clock (e.g. an existing traffic control centre). In case of an incident the involved NCP is responsible for passing on the information concerned to all relevant offices and recipients within its own country, and for carrying out situation reporting at specified intervals. Petition to the Ministers of Transport The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to entrust it with the following mandates: Realisation of the concept of incident and situation reporting Nomination and installation of the national contact points (NCPs) in each country Specification of the domestic communication process Development of checklists and handbooks for/together with the NCPs Full implementation of the incident and situation reporting system until Web site for alpine transit traffic Introduction It is not only public authorities that need information in case of an incident, but also all road users. There are plenty of web sites available, but it is practically impossible to obtain an overview of which sites can be called up to view useful and up-to-date information for the whole alpine region. It is also often the case that general road and traffic information does not include data at the regional level. A web site is therefore required that provides road users with important information, including links to other useful web sites for the various transalpine axes, in a clearly structured and transparent manner. 7

8 Procedure To promote the Zurich Process as a whole, the new web site should be closely connected to that of the Zurich Process, which is currently under construction. The name of the web site should make the contents very clear, e.g. or and should thus be easily found by the various search engines. The home page will contain a map depicting the main alpine axes. Users can click on each axis to gain access to detailed information and online data that may be of use to them, such as general restrictions on use or regulations regarding the transport of hazardous goods, long-term roadwork sites, type of road or steep stretches. In addition a list of links, for example to national traffic and roadwork information sites, will be included. The information provided should also include fundamental legal provisions relating to the various axes, e.g. restrictions that apply on weekends and public holidays. Should an incident occur, the axis concerned will be highlighted. To promote the web site, leaflets should be produced that could be distributed at suitable locations, e.g. toll booths. The web site should be operated by a designated webmaster. He/she would have to be granted the same status as a national contact point so that he/ she can obtain all the relevant data for operating the site. It may be assumed that the programming of the web site will amount to approximately 25 man days. As the site is structured in such a way that the webmaster only has to make very few changes and adjustments (reviews at intervals of approximately six months), the normal operation of the web site will correspond to approximately 10 man days per year. Example - homepage 8

9 Petition to the Ministers of Transport The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to entrust it with the following mandates: Realisation of the concept, structure and contents of the web site, including financial and organisational issues (webmaster) Specification of the name of the web site ( or Development of the new web site and link to the official Zurich Process site ( Full implementation of the web site and production of leaflets until

10 6. Measures for incident management in the region of the Alps Introduction In addition to a standardised incident and situation reporting system that guarantees the efficient exchange of information between the countries and the information of road users via the web site, the development of a strategy governing emergency measures in case of an incident is of the utmost importance. Some of the emergency measures might call for the diversion of traffic to other axes by temporarily overriding regulations governing restrictions on these axes. This could result in considerable difficulties of a political nature for the minister responsible for the restrictions concerned in his or her country. A general approach governing emergency measures ranging from minor to far-reaching therefore needs to be defined. General approach Taking into account that each measure is based on minimizing the impacts on the local population, the environment and the economy the workgroup has agreed on the following general approach to be applied in case of an incident as defined in section 3.1: If emergency measures have to be taken on one of the axes as defined in section 3.2 the state in which the incident occurred should take all reasonable measures in accordance with the following two principles and based on mutual trust: First the principle of subsidiarity, i.e. to try to find a domestic solution of the problem before involving the neighbouring countries and second the principle of the mildest measure, i.e. to apply the mildest measure first. This general approach applies to all traffic measures, but expressly does not apply to notification about the incident as such, which has to be made internationally without delay. Categories of measures 10

11 As a rule, the suitability of a given measure and its effectiveness cannot be assessed in a general manner, but depends on the extent of the interference caused by the incident and the importance of the axis on which the incident occurred. An overview is necessary showing which measures are available for which axes. Initially, it would be best to list all possible measures. However, in the final list it is important to be aware of the fact that, following an incident, only those measures can be applied successfully that can be implemented without delay and on the basis of simple procedures. This is especially problematic if a given measure calls for the adoption of legal provisions or even requires a national referendum or a comprehensive coordination procedure in advance. Table 6.1 to table 6.3 contain lists of potential measures in three categories of difficulty of implementation. Here it is important to note that practically all cited measures take the form of provisional regulations that apply until the situation on the axis concerned has returned to normal. For space reasons, the terms provisional or temporary have not been included in the list. It should also be noted that, for some countries, certain measures may appear in different categories. The first two categories mainly contain examples of technical or administrative. By contrast, the third category already concerns legal measures in the preparatory stage. The general approach underscores the fact that, for these categories of measures, regulations must not be permitted under any circumstances to enter into effect that require the state concerned to first work through a rigid and comprehensive checklist before it may also ask a neighbouring state to introduce technical measures. Measures in category 3 are problematic to apply in a concrete situation, since they do not meet the overall goal, which is to set the right measure, at the right place, at the right time. They do not offer this necessary flexibility as they cause legal or even constitutional difficulties, and thus, are not deemed to be feasible in case of an incident. Thus, the workgroup arrived at the conclusion that measures in category 3 are not feasible for incident management, which calls for highly flexible measures that can be quite easily and flexibly realized. The workgroup agreed that at this time category 3 11

12 measures are not recommended, as their practical implementation in the event of an actual incident, is more or less impossible. Petition to the Executive Committee The workgroup requests the Executive Committee to petition the Ministers of Transport to adopt the general approach in case of an incident, to take note of the three categories of measures and follow the recommendation of the workgroup, and to further deepen and develop the measures regarding their feasibility and concrete application on the alpine axes. Tabel 1 - Category 1: Strictley technical measures (Examples) State Measure Description SI/DE Information platforms as proposed by workgroup Contact point Information web site AT/CH Modal shift Transfer from road to rail AT/IT/FR/DE Traffic inspections Enforcement of legal provisions, e.g. governing separation of HGVs and cars DE SI/DE AT/IT/FR/CH/ DE DE RDS/TMC radio in the vehicle with traffic information Introduction of an incident reporting system Recommended diversions to alternative and secondary roads Traffic control systems with variable message signs Individual information, recommendation only To improve mutual provision of information Recommendation only, not compulsory Improvement of traffic flow, capacity and safety 12

13 State Measure Description DE Hard shoulder running Increase of overall capacity of a given stretch AT/IT/DE IT/CH/DE Controlled use of waiting zones Controlled use of time windows Improvement of traffic flow More efficient management of certain vehicle categories, e.g. supply vehicles IT/CH/FR Formation of convoys Limitation of risks, with time windows for certain categories IT/FR IT/CH IT Driving bans for certain vehicle categories Lifting of no overtaking regulations Lifting of weekend driving restrictions Co-ordination of traffic flow to enhance capacity To increase the overall capacity of a given stretch More space for goods transports, disturbance for local residents IT Lifting of weight limits To also allow heavier vehicles to use the stretch concerned FR One-way traffic To improve traffic flow for HGVs CH Frequency restrictions Restrictions for certain categories CH/FR Reduction of lanes Reservation of certain lanes for specific vehicle categories FR Lifting of weekend restrictions More space for goods transports, disturbance for local residents Tabel 2 - Category 2: Administrative measures (Examples) State Measure Description CH/AT Lifting of speed limits To also allow heavier vehicles to use the stretch concerned CH Creation of waiting zones To improve traffic flow, but additional disturbance at location 13

14 CH Closure of route Route closed for certain vehicle categories SI Financial incentives To influence the behaviour of transport companies AT/IT/DE Compulsory diversions Compulsory instead of recommended diversions AT Reduction of lanes Reservation of certain lanes for specific vehicle categories AT/FR One-way traffic To improve traffic flow for HGVs AT Driving bans for certain vehicle categories Co-ordination of traffic flow to enhance capacity FR AT DE DE Lifting of night-time driving restrictions Lifting of no overtaking regulations Road construction management Re-route special heavy transports or move to time windows with low traffic volume More space for goods transports, disturbance for local residents To increase the overall capacity of a given stretch Co-ordination of construction work Increase capacity of certain stretch FR Traffic volume restrictions Reduction of number of vehicles on a given stretch Tabel 3 Category 3: Legal measures (Examples) State Measure Description AT AT/CH Lifting of weight and dimension limits Lifting of night-time driving restrictions Opening of alternative stretches (e.g. passes) on which transit traffic is normally not allowed, if construction and safety allow for it More capacity for goods transport, disturbance for local residents 14

15 AT/CH/DE FR Lifting of weekend restrictions Lifting of traffic volume restrictions More capacity for goods transports, disturbance for local residents For example, lifting of volume restrictions in the Mont Blanc tunnel, resulting in increased capacity for HGVs CH One-way traffic Reserving an axis for specific vehicle categories 7. Summary of petitions Approach The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to adopt the following: Definition of the term incident Definition of the main transit axes Incident and situation reporting The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to entrust it with the following mandates: Realisation of the concept of incident and situation reporting Nomination and installation of the national contact points (NCPs) in each country Specification of the domestic communication process Development of checklists and handbooks for/together with the NCPs Full implementation of the incident and situation reporting system until 2011 Web site for alpine transit traffic The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to entrust it with the following mandates: 15

16 Realisation of the concept, structure and contents of the web site, including financial and organisational issues (webmaster) Specification of the name of the web site ( or Development of the new web site and link to the official Zurich Process site ( Full implementation of the web site and production of leaflets during 2011 Measures for incident management in the region of the Alps The Executive Committee petitions the Ministers of Transport to adopt the following items: to adopt the general approach in case of an incident, to take note of the three categories of measures and follow the recommendation of the workgroup, and to further deepen and develop the measures regarding their feasibility and concrete application on the alpine axes. 16