Updated: to cap a lively week for Livigno, a massive landslide closes the road to the Munt la Schera Tunnel (though it reopens four days later).

Also, Lotus fans on Mont Blanc. Biker injured by migrant road block in Calais. Mega-jam in Berlin. Controlled explosion on North Sea ferry. Do not reverse out of Italy toll queue warning.

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LIVIGNO-MUNT LA SCHERA ROAD CLOSED BY ROCKFALL

A lively week for the remote, duty-free town in the Italian Alps. See below for update.

Photo Comune di Livigno via @ValtellinaTweet

It must be Livigno week here at @DriveEurope.

Last Saturday saw news that the Munt la Schera Tunnel, on the road from Livigno across the nearby Swiss border, was changing its one-way winter opening hours to better cope with the holiday crush.

On Tuesday, fuel prices dipped again to truly bargain levels (especially compared to Italy which has some of the Continent’s most expensive fuel).

The remote town enjoys special VAT-exempt status to stimulate trade and tourism.

Meanwhile, but for Brexit yesterday we would had a photo of mountain wild flowers blooming along the roadside.

Now today, heavy rain last night caused a rock fall which has now closed the Via Dala Val road along the lake to Munt la Schera.

The landslide was so heavy that debris has actually invaded the open-sided gallery itself while thousands of tonnes lies on top.

Via Dala Val has been closed indefinitely according to the Comune di Livigno website, between the Fopel restaurant just north of the town and Munt la Schera.

In the meantime Livigno is still accessible, by the Forcola di Livigno mountain pass off the St Moritz-Tirano Bernina Pass in Switzerland, and by Foscagno from Bormio in Italy (see PassFinder).

Update 28 June: in what is, by any standards, quick work the Livigno – Munt la Schera road reopened this morning reports Valtellina Mobile. Livigno is now accessible from all three directions. 

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French Lotus fans invade the Mont Blanc region this weekend on a route which includes famous passes Galibier, Télégraphe, Lautaret, Mont Cenis and Cormet Roseland, among others. The annual event is now in its sixth year. Photo @ValdIsere. See mountain roads at PassFinder

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roundup: a biker was injured on the A16 near Calais overnight after hitting a road block put in place by migrants says La Voix du Nord. It’s the latest of four migrant-related incidents in the area this past week after months of calm. Drivers are advised to take the utmost care in the area, especially overnight… drivers were stuck for up to seven hours in 30 degree temperatures yesterday on the A2 westbound into Berlin after two trucks collided and caught fire. The road finally reopened at 23:00 according to VID, almost twelve hours after the incident… police carried out a controlled explosion onboard P&O’s Pride of York ferry in Hull on Thursday. The alleged bomb turned out to be unattended luggage reports Hull Daily Mail, spotted after the boat arrived from Zeebrugge… do not reverse out of a lane at a toll booth in Italy, Austrian motoring club OAMTC warns members. There is an unspecified ‘high fine’ plus, ‘in the worst case, the car can even be confiscated’. OAMTC advises members to press the emergency button whereupon staff will issue a receipt to be paid at the next toll station.

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Immediate concerns over fuel prices in the wake of the Brexit vote and, longer term, over red tape hampering international haulage, insurance and Calais.

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Within minutes of the result being announced this morning, P&O tweeted that there were queues in Dover.

If it was a post-Brexit exodus it didn’t last long.

Not long after that some of the implications of the referendum started to come to light.

The consensus is that there are no immediate effects aside from possibly higher fuel prices.

In the longer term there are concerns about the migrants in Calais, and red tape in the international haulage business.

First off was AA president Edmund King who said on twitter, ‘The AA expects a rush on GB stickers as EC plates may not be valid. #Anythingcanhappen #EUref’.

Likely tongue in cheek, he is referring to British number plates which include the EU flag. That has meant the vehicle does not needed a separate GB sticker.

In a fuller statement, the AA says the immediate concern is fuel prices thanks to a weaker pound against the dollar and the euro, and a possible rise in fuel duty in an emergency post-Brexit budget.

Longer term, another issue could be insurance. It is currently governed by an EU directive to give drivers at least the legal minimum cover in other member states.

The BIBA British Insurance Brokers’ Association says, ‘The process of negotiating exit terms, setting out future arrangements with the EU and creating trading deals is likely to take some considerable time and will impact our industry during that period.  BIBA will work with the Government and other authorities to ensure that the interests of insurance brokers and their customers are fully represented in these vital negotiations. BIBA will make this a priority work stream during this time.’

On travelling to Europe generally, ABTA Association of British Travel Agents says, ‘People due to travel this summer will see little changes to their holiday. Once the UK formally notifies the EU of its intention to leave, the remaining Member States will have up to two years to offer the UK a deal for a future trading relationship and during this period holidaymakers will not see any immediate changes. 

However, the fall in value of the pound will have an immediate impact on holidaymakers and their spending power overseas.’

Meanwhile, the international haulage industry is concerned about new bureaucratic hurdles for imports and exports.

The FTA Freight Transport Association: ‘the FTA will lead campaign on behalf of exporters & importers to keep EU trade procedures simple & international transport costs down,’ it said in a tweet.

Chief executive David Wells says, ‘Even though we are coming out of Europe politically, it remains our biggest export market and the supplier of a high proportion of our imports. We cannot allow new bureaucratic burdens to hamper the efficient movement of exports heading for customers and imported goods destined for British consumers.’

The RHA Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett says, ‘This is an ‘earthquake moment’ for the whole country, the economy and our industry. We simply cannot take anything for granted. It’s vital that Ministers and the Bank of England work quickly to steady markets and nerves.’

The IRU International Road Transport Union says, ‘A number of issues will need to be addressed during negotiations in order to provide legal clarity and the stability that road transport operators need. These issues could include the use of and reintroduction of customs clearance and transit facilitation agreements, cross-border VAT, access to the market, access to the profession, and training standards and recognition. Transport operators may also be adversely affected by additional security issues such as clandestine migration and identity check requirements for passenger transport operators.

IRU urges a rapid resolution of these important issues in order to ensure clarity and facilitate proper business planning for the transport operators we represent through our members.’

Eurotunnel: ‘the result of the referendum will not affect the activity of the Channel Tunnel Concession. The Group maintains its outlook,’ it said in a statement.

Jacques Gounon, chairman and CEO of Groupe Eurotunnel says, ‘The Channel Tunnel fixed link was established with an international treaty between two sovereign states. Our Anglo-French vocation is to offer our customers a constantly improving and more competitive transport service. I am confident that we will achieve our goals.’

Industry association Discover Ferries says it, ‘Reassures holidaymakers that ferry services will remain the same and all travel options will continue as normal.’

Calais: mayor Natacha Bouchart had said it was too early to say what effect Brexit will have though regional president Xavier Bertrand repeated his repeated calls over the last year to renegotiate the Le Touquet Agreement  – this, effectively, keeps the migrants in Calais with the ‘juxtaposed’ border controls between the UK and France with border checks on each other’s territory.

However, according to the BBC, Bouchart has now called for the agreement to be renegotiated too, though – as a non-EU treaty between the two nations – it has nothing to do with the Calais mayor.

Over in Gibraltar, the Spanish foreign minister’s threat to close the border the morning after Brexit has not happened though Spain is due to hold a general election on Saturday.

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Switzerland is taking its time – a very long time – to renovate the north stretch of Gotthard Pass.

Also, it seems everyone’s going to Norway. First test for new Italy ‘vehicular homicide’ law, and a similar case in Ireland. No more deaths with Dutch 130kmh limit says police. Jail sentence for Calais riot migrant amid more riots. Harsher fine for oncoming lane driving Bulgaria. Near miss wrong-way incident Sweden.

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HALF TIME ON GOTTHARD’S SCHOLLENEN GORGE REVAMP

It will take six years to redevelop five kilometers of road.

Schollenen Gorge. Photo Schollenen.ch

Strictly speaking, the H2 Schollenenstrasse which snakes up the Schollenen Gorge is not part of the H2 Gotthard Pass.

For most people the difference is academic though the roads are separated by several miles of the Urseren Valley.

Some people call Schollenen the Andermatt Pass because it runs up from Goschenen, at the north end of the Gotthard Road Tunnel, to the ski resort Andermatt.

In 5.15km it rises 357m (1170ft) with three bridges and tunnels and six open-sided galleries (to protect against rock fall).

As a scenic alternative to the jam-prone Gotthard Tunnel, Schollenen gets very busy.

In the summer the number of vehicles more than triples, to nearly 14,000 each day (compared to 100,000 per day for a busy three lane motorway like the Munich A9).

Until the Gotthard Tunnel opened in 1980 it was a major route through the Alps between north and south Switzerland.

After more than five decades in its current form it was time for an overhaul.

Work started in October 2013 and has just passed the half way point (bang on schedule naturally).

The main structural work will be finished by the end of 2018 and the entire project a year later.

More than six years to revamp a road little more than five kilometres long…

Due to the traffic load, work is restricted to two sites at any time and, thanks to the weather, between April and October.

Under normal circumstances, there is alternate traffic at the work sites with traffic lights though at weekends in July and August the traffic is allowed to flow freely.

The major work this year is on two of the galleries, the road way and some retaining walls.

Aside from that, a new bike path is being built including a fancy underpass tunnel.

By the end of 2018, bikes and cars will not mix. In the meantime there’s a bike transport for €5.

In truth, the Schollenen revamp is a massive pain, adding to the congestion at one of Europe’s most acute pinch points.

Will it be worth it? Well they’ve had long enough to get it right.

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After what was described as an ‘eventful’ ferry crossing, the first SLR Club members arrived in Oslo on Sunday ahead of the ‘Midnight Sun Tour’. Quite what has happened since then is not clear; ‘stay tuned’ it says on its Facebook page. Meanwhile, @Fletchdale nears the end of his two week Norway tour, see the pictures. UK drivers are still hampered by the lack of a ferry link to Scandinavia and, unfortunately, there is still no news to report. Photo SLR Club.

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roundup: Italy’s new ‘vehicular homicide’ law is about to be put to the test. It follows the death of a cyclist in Piacenza on Wednesday, allegedly by a driver overtaking in a no-passing lane reports ANSA.it. As of March, drivers can be jailed for up to seven years if convicted of one death or up to 12 years if drink driving, and up to 18 years for multiple deaths. Licences can be confiscated for up to 30 years. Over in Ireland meanwhile, a disqualified driver who killed a cyclist in Dublin last year has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison reports RTE.ie. The young driver had attempted a handbrake turn at traffic lights… Dutch police refute claims the steady re-roll out of the 130kmh motorway speed limit has led to more road deaths. A report earlier in the year said fatalities had tripled according to DutchNews.nl but police say there are logically more deaths on 130kmh stretches because there are now more of them. The 130kmh limit now covers 61 percent of the motorway network with an eventual target of 77 percent… a Kuwaiti migrant was sentenced to three months in prison following Monday’s riot on the Calais port road reports La Voix du Nord. Two British activists were also arrested but it’s not clear if they have been punished (they were ordered to leave France according to the Telegraph). Meanwhile, for the third time this week – and after months of quiet in the day time – migrants disrupted traffic in Calais again today. Ominously, not just the A216/N216 access road to the port was closed, but also the A16 at Grand Synthe, Dunkirk, next to the migrant camp… in the face of rising road deaths, and one of the EU’s worst road safety records, Bulgaria has tightened penalties. A blood alcohol level between 0.5-0.8 gets a fine of 500BGN (£195), rising to 1000BGN (£390) for 0.8-1.2 (the UK limit is 0.8). Driving in the oncoming lane on motorways and fast roads – an increasing practice according to Novinite – will cost 4000BGN (£1500)… a family survived a head-on crash with a wrong way driver on the E4 between Stockholm and Malmo in central Sweden early this morning. As is common, the incident was caused by an elderly local, an 80 year old man says The Local Sweden…

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This weekend sees the first summer holiday jams, particularly in Germany.

Also, 300 Can-Am touring trikes meet at the top of Grossglockner. And, Brexit fare rise risk says Brittany Ferries. Scania’s ‘electric highway’ starts operations. Dummy passenger attempts carpool scam in Madrid. Mass casualties in Austria coach crash. Chronic Spain border queues A63 from Bordeaux. 

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SUMMER TRAFFIC STARTS THIS WEEKEND

Massive traffic jams are as summery as sunstroke and forest fire.

Happily there is still some way to go before the truly epic delays.

But Scandinavia and northern Germany heading off on holiday from this Friday kicks off twelve straight weekends of increasingly clogged roads.

This Nordic exodus will likely make the A7 Denmark-Hamburg not an especially nice place to be this weekend, and the A9 to Munich too thanks to the road works south of Ingolstadt.

However, really major jams are not anticipated in Germany until the third weekend of July.

From then on, every Friday and Saturday will be as busy as it gets on German roads, up to and including the 5th and 6th of August.

After that, holiday routes north and south settle back into the merely crowded until the end of September.

Meanwhile, France doesn’t get going until Friday 1 July.

After that it gets progressively busier until the first ‘Black Saturday’ – when the entire country sets off on holiday – on Saturday 30 July.

This is repeated the following weekend – Saturday 6 August – accompanied by exceptionally heavy traffic return traffic for the first time too.

Things then steadily return to normal ahead of a quiet September.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel has a slightly different pattern. From France to Italy it is busiest from the second week in July to the first weekend of August, likely with three hour delays, then from mid-July to mid-August in the other direction.

In Austria, aside from heavy local traffic for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in the south east on the first weekend of August, the traffic season lasts from mid-July to mid-August.

Over in Switzerland, roads are at least busy every single day – especially at the weekend – from the first day of July until mid-September. The longest queues will be at the Gotthard Tunnel.

Coastbound traffic has already been heavy in Italy recently, especially the A14 Bologna-Rimini – out early on Saturday, back late on Sunday – and A10 Genoa-France. From this weekend, the A22 Brennero Austria-Verona joins the club too.

Weekends away aside – up to and including the first week of September – there is only one Italian Black Saturday, on Saturday 6 August.

Disclaimer: with so much traffic advice around, canny drivers dodge the worst days. However, the ultimate result is to spread the misery around. This was especially evident in France last year where every Saturday in August was horrible. Sundays are much quieter. In general, the earlier drivers set off in Germany the better (consider driving through the night) but in France, major queues develop even before sunrise on the worst days.

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Three hundred Can-Am Spyder trikes came from as far afield as Russia and Turkey earlier this month to drive Austria’s Grossglockner mountain pass. The annual owners’ event included prizes for the male and female drivers who had travelled furthest, the youngest participant, the one with the most kilometers on the clock, and the one with the most originally personalised vehicle. Manufactured by BRP Bombardier Recreational Products – which also makes the Ski-Doo snowmobile – the Spyder Roadster is powered by a 100bhp V-twin 998cc Rotax engine. Weighing just 350kg, performance is ‘crisp’. At 44 litres, storage space is about a third of a Mazda MX-5’s. Prices start at £12,499 and run to £26,695 for an inline 3-cylinder touring model developing 115bhp. All versions are available with the full range of electronic driver aids. Photo Grossglockner Facebook.

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roundup: Brittany Ferries say Brexit could see fares increase as free movement becomes more difficult reports Portsmouth.co.uk. Interestingly, the UK-western France-Spain operator started on the day the UK joined the then EEC, on 1 January 1973… Scania’s electric highway in Gavle central Sweden began operations today. A 2km strip of the E16 motorway has overhead electric wires in a two year experiment… a Madrid driver was caught in a carpool lane on the A-6 this week with a dressed up dummy in the passenger seat. Officers became suspicious when they saw the dummy was wearing a fleece jacket despite the hot weather. The driver was fined €200 says El Pais English… 46 Italian passengers were injured, four seriously, in a coach crash in Austria yesterday lunchtime says ANSA.it. The vehicle rear-ended a broken down truck on the A2 at Grimmenstein between Vienna and Graz… several times this week, drivers heading south at the Spain border on the A63 from Bordeaux have been held in long queues, especially in the late afternoon. Presumably caused by border checks during the Euro16 football championship, though no other border seems particularly affected.

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Many fewer speeding tickets for Le Mans-bound drivers this year though many more licences were withdrawn – also, there’s a party alternative to the inevitable post-race Eurotunnel crush.

And, a designer façade for the upcoming re-bored Karawanke Tunnel in Austria. Also, RHA repeats call for Calais army after migrant riots as new security fence is completed. Fatal coach crash on Belgrade highway. Fake traffic fines in Belgium, and fake ‘yellow angel’ ADAC vans in Serbia and Hungary. Europe’s worst blue badge parking fines in Malta. Super cheap fuel in duty-free Livigno. 

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LE MANS SPEEDERS WELL DOWN ON LAST YEAR

Speeding fines down but withdrawn licences significantly increase.

Photo @Gendarmerie

Last year nearly half of the 2000 drivers checked by police in the Orne region over the Le Mans 24 Hours weekend were found to be speeding.

The area covers the A88 from Caen and A28 from Rouen and Calais to the north of Le Mans.

‘Many of the offenders were of British nationality’ said the prefecture at the time.

This year, the number of Le Mans speeders in l’Orne fell to 177 according to police today.

However, 20 licenses were confiscated for exceeding the limit by more than 40kmh, compared to eleven last year.

The top speeds recorded were 195kmh, 194kmh, and 192kmh on the A88 and A28 autoroutes with 130kmh limits (and were almost as high on the 110kmh limited RN12 from Paris).

The licences of six British or Spanish drivers were taken away.

Meanwhile, in the Sarthe region itself, around Le Mans, 343 drivers were caught speeding with 22 licences withdrawn (there are no figures for last year).

These totals may increase as other prefectures publish results.

Finally, following the crush of returning drivers at Eurotunnel on Sunday evening and Monday, where border delays alone saw waits of up to four hours, the overnight Brittany Ferries Caen-Portsmouth route has been suggested as a good alternative.

Talking on twitter, EVO magazine founder Harry Metcalfe said it was the route many of the Le Mans racing drivers used themselves while David Pook recommended the ‘party boat atmosphere’.

Caen (Ouistreham) is the closest port to the Le Mans circuit at 175km. The ferry departs at 23:00 on Sunday nights with early boarding up to three hours before.

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Building starts at the end of next year on a second tube for the Austria-Slovenia Karawank Tunnel. When complete in 2021, the notorious summer bottleneck – currently with just one lane in each direction – will have an architect-designed façade. The winning firm, Hertl of Steyr, was announced today after a nationwide competition. The non-load bearing aluminium façade is designed to look ‘soft and translucent’ from a distance. It was described by the judges as ‘serene and elegant’. Roads manager ASFINAG says architectural input embeds the buildings into the landscape, and helps orientate drivers to improve road safety. The 7864m tunnel between Villach and Ljubljana costs €7.20 for a car. More at ASFINAG.at

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roundup: the RHA Road Haulage Association has reiterated its call from last year for the French army to step in and help protect truckers in Calais after yesterday’s riot and blockade on the port access road. Meanwhile, the new fence to protect the road is now complete reports La Voix du Nord, except for wiring the street lights and connecting surveillance cameras. However, there were reports yesterday that migrants had damaged fencing… five Slovak tourists were killed early this morning after their coach went off the road in Boboviste, southern Serbia, just north of Nis on the A1/E75 Belgrade motorway reports B92. They were on the way back from a holiday in Corfu… police in Belgium are warning of a fake traffic penalty email scam. The messages are professionally formatted – sometimes in the form of a late payment notice – and ask the recipient either to click a (virus) link, or make a payment. Federal Police say they never send such emails… fake ‘yellow angel’ ADAC breakdown vans are apparently circulating in Hungary and Serbia says Der Spiegel, either in full ADAC guise or with ‘on behalf of the ADAC’ written on the side. Drivers should be especially sceptical if a van turns up immediately after a mishap. They have also been known to block mobile phone calls to prevent verification. Outside Germany, ADAC only operates its own vehicles in northern Italy and Croatia… drivers who abuse disabled parking ‘blue badges’ face a fine of €230 then up to €1500 for a second or subsequent offence says Times of Malta. It is described as ‘one of the harshest fines in Europe’ – next worst is the UK at up to £1000. Only Estonia does not now have blue badge enforcement… duty-free Livigno in the Italian Alps – accessed in winter only by the Munt la Schera Tunnel – really does have super cheap fuel. Diesel currently comes in at €0.786 per litre and petrol at €0.940 according to Valtellina Mobile. The low tax regime is an historic arrangement, to stimulate business in a very remote region of the country, sandwiched between two strands of east Switzerland, within striking range of Stelvio, Bernina, Fluelapass, Ofenpass, Umrail and Gavia (among others, see more at PassFinder).

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A horrifying reminder of last summer as heavy return traffic, border checks and technical trouble at Eurotunnel lead to massive delays, and migrants riot in Calais.

Also, Switzerland’s Munt la Schera Tunnel to open longer and later this winter. France to refund ‘double manning’ fines. Gibraltar to get runway tunnel after all. A third of drivers fined over Hungary vignette are foreign. Classic car drivers win reprieve from Paris old car ban. Chinese largest group in Iceland visitor crash stats. Stena to re-flag after Brexit.

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ALL KICKING OFF IN CALAIS AGAIN

Problems at Eurotunnel, plus migrant trouble at Calais.

Calais port road this afternoon. Photo Radio 6 Dunkerque

A combination of technical problems at Eurotunnel, heavy return traffic from Le Mans and now migrant trouble on the Calais port road is making for a miserable day on the French side of the Channel.

Drivers at the tunnel were already waiting up to three hours to clear enhanced border checks this afternoon – as they had yesterday evening – when technical trouble struck.

Contrary to some reports, Eurotunnel tells us there is not a train stuck in tunnel but that, ‘Work is needed in the Tunnel for repairs to catenary [power supply cable], and these works have started, with a single line in operation.’

Eurostar subsequently said the origin of the problem has been located.

The initial issue was fixed by 16:30BST but soon after a train did in fact stop in the tunnel (though it has now been moved and the timetable reformed).

Delays peaked at nine hours in total late into the evening.

Meanwhile, the Calais port access road from the A16 autoroute was been closed due to migrant trouble – the first day time incident since March, though it is still a regular occurrance overnight. 

James McCann from McCann Transport tells us mid-afternoon, ‘Jungle residents kicking off on slip road into port, smoke bombs, stuff all over the road. Our driver mentioned projectiles being chucked. Port not so bad once clear of the madness, perimeter fence been breached though so some inside.’

Calais port is advising drivers to find an alternative route into the port. Reader Pete Edwards says it is possible to reach the port through the town from the A16, see below.

P&O says it will not charge delayed drivers forced to catch later boats. DFDS says customers can catch a Dover boat from Dunkirk instead.

The port road finally reopened at 18:30BST.

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Switzerland’s single lane Munt la Schera Tunnel through the Alps will open longer and later on Saturday’s this winter to deal with the winter sports crush. It normally opens 24 hours a day with traffic alternating in each direction every 15 minutes, between Livigno in Italy and H28 Ofenpass in eastern Switzerland. On winter ‘changeover’ Saturdays however it opens for long stretches in one direction only to deal with the heavy traffic – the only other access to Livigno – the Forcola di Livigno Pass – closes in winter. This year, Munt la Schera will open Livigno-bound at 11:00, an hour later than previously, and only reopen to Swiss-bound traffic at 19:00, two hours later than before. The one-way toll for a car is €15, or return €24. See more at EKWStrom.ch

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roundup: France is to refund fines for ‘double manning’ rest violations according to Spain’s Transporte3.com. Earlier this year, out of the blue, drivers were fined for not taking 45 minute rest periods in stationary vehicles on two-drive trips. Penalties were as high as €6000… work is to restart on a dual carriageway tunnel under Gibraltar’s airport runway after a long-running legal dispute was resolved between the government and contractor reports Olive Press. Currently vehicles have to wait for planes to land or take off as the runway cuts across the main road into the territory from the Spanish border. The tunnel should open in late 2018… more than half a million drivers were fined a total of €14.5 million last year for failing to buy Hungary’s electronic motorway vignette. A third were foreigners reports Daily News Hungary. The country does have many local agreements in place to pursue fines from drivers’ home countries (see Euro Parking Solutions) – about half were recovered. See more on Hungary road tolls… Classic car drivers won’t be banned from the streets of Paris after all according to Auto Blog. The FFVE Fédération Francaise des Véhicules d’Epoque has negotiated with the city authorities to produce a new ‘Carte Grise de Collection’ sticker for vehicles more than 30 years old. Otherwise all vehicles registered before 1997 are banned from the central Paris weekday day times, apparently even foreign ones… Chinese tourists make up the biggest group of visiting drivers injured in Iceland traffic accidents according to Iceland Review. Numbers jumped from an average of two each year 2001-2014 to 27 in 2015. However, of 1324 people injured in accidents last year, 208 were visitors. Road safety for tourists is an increasing issue… Ireland and Harwich-Hook of Holland ferry operator Stena Line would re-flag its ships in the remaining EU in the event of a Brexit vote reports Radio Sweden. The process would likely take a few years but could affect 8000 UK jobs.

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‘Migrants in the water’ puts focus back on security at Calais. 

Also, day one Lamborghini Italian Tour centres around Rimini. Also, injuries after DIY LPG-CNG adaptor explodes in Sweden. Trial speed limit reductions Madrid and Paris. Huge cut in Channel stowaway fine. Massive wait for coaches during Euro16 border controls. Drastic fall in Channel Island ferry passengers.

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CALAIS CLOSED OVERNIGHT ‘MIGRANTS IN THE WATER’ 

Port shuts after migrants attempt to board ferries from the water.

Calais port closed overnight after migrants were spotted in the water.

P&O confirmed the incident to us but were unable to give any more details.

Local reports say the port was shut for 90 minutes shortly after 02:00 when migrants were seen swimming in the water, apparently attempting to board ferries.

At 03:15 P&O had tweeted, ‘Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 04:20 Dover to Calais is currently delayed by 45 mins. We’ll have you on your way ASAP.’

While services have resumed and operated normally since, the incident is bound to put the focus back onto security at the port.

No problems have been reported during the day for several months but truck drivers particularly continue to run the gauntlet of migrants overnight.

The authorities are currently in the process of building a new security fence to protect the port access road. It was expected to finished ‘mid-month’.

Today’s incident comes in the wake of increasing reports of migrants attempting to cross the Channel by boat.

In a separate incident this afternoon, campaigners barred from delivering an aid convoy to the Calais Jungle migrant camp briefly blockaded French border controls in Dover.

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Lamborghini is on the move again following its 50th Anniversary Miura tour last week. The first day of its Italian Tour for modern vehicles today was a loop south from Rimini on the east coast, taking in San Marino, with lunch at the medieval fortress village Montegridolfo, above. Drivers stayed at Rimini’s Grand Hotel. Follow along at #LamboTour

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roundup: a foreign driver attempting to refuel his LPG car from a CNG pump in Boras, southern Sweden, caused an explosion in which three people were injured. According to Radio Sweden ‘it seems a foreign car tried to fill gas using an improvised adaptor!’ LPG fills at 10 bar pressure compared to 200 bar for CNG Compressed Natural Gas. ‘That’s why I got the proper adaptors when I had my LPG car,’ says Sweden-regular @Taff34. LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas is not widely available, if at all, in Nordic countries… speed limits were cut from 50kmh to 30kmh (31mph to 19mph) in the Chamberi district, central Madrid, this week in a bid to cut pollution and improve safety says City Lab. If successful the new lower limit could be rolled out throughout the entire ‘almond’ central district. The Spanish capital has been struggling with pollution. In Paris too, 46km of autoroutes and national roads will have speed limits cut by 20kmh – either from 130kmh to 110kmh or 110kmh to 90kmh – from the beginning of July, to improve road safety and traffic flow and cut pollution and noise says the IdF Ile de France prefecture. The affected roads are the A12 in the west; A115 in the north, A104 in the east (to 80kmh for 3.5t+) and N6 in the south – see a map. The limits will be reviewed in a year’s time… @KeepMeOnTheRoad lawyer Anton Balkitis cut a stowaway fine for a foreign client from £10,500 to £558 in court this week – phone 0115 910 0600 if he can help you… 100 percent border controls for Euro16 saw coaches waiting up to 2h30 on Friday, in Calais and Dover says P&O Ferries… the number of ferry passengers to and from Guernsey has fallen by 22 percent, and by 20 percent for Jersey, a result of all the disruption with Condor Ferries’ troubled new Liberation says new CEO Paul Luxon. The BBC has a long, sorry list of all the problems.

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British diesel drivers should still hang on for France but everyone should fill up before Portugal. Meanwhile, recent rises tail off. 

Also, impressive Swiss towing stunt from Land Rover’s Discovery Sport. And, annual Paris car-free day will be mega, as Brussels pedestrian zone shrinks. Brexit threat to M20 truck park claim as hauliers vote to leave.

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SUMMER HOLIDAY FUEL PRICES ROUNDUP

Expensive Italy and Portugal; still cheap Luxembourg and Austria.

Ahead of the summer holidays, our working theory that the EU’s most expensive fuel is in the northwest – Netherland, Denmark, UK and Belgium – and the cheapest is in the south east – Austria, the Balkans – broadly holds up.

The notable exception, as ever in recent years, is Italy. Diesel comes in at £1.06 per litre, according to the latest figures from the RAC Foundation, and unleaded95 at £1.20.

That puts it second and third most expensive in the EU respectively.

Also particularly and persistently expensive is Portugal.

Its £1.16 per litre for unleaded95 compares to £0.95 in neighbouring Spain.

The difference is not quite so marked with diesel at £0.95 versus £0.83.

Meanwhile, for British diesel drivers it is still definitely worth refilling in France. The difference is just under 20p per litre.

But it’s probably not worth petrolheads stretching fuel across the Channel. Unleaded95 prices are separated by just 3p per litre.

Elsewhere, there is some evidence to say recent rises are tailing off.

A succession of increases saw Luxembourg diesel almost breach the psychological €1 per litre last month but it is back down now to €0.95 (£0.76).

Although it is still cheaper than Romania, Luxembourg unleaded95 looks relatively expensive at €1.123 (£0.91), though that is on the way down too according to Wort.lu.

In Germany too, standard E10 petrol (10 percent ethanol) has finally tailed off after steady increases since the beginning of April. It now stands at €1.32, up from €1.20.

Diesel has increased from €1.04 to €1.11 in the same period, and is still going up, but the rate has slacked off somewhat according to ADAC.

The spread of unleaded95 prices in the EU is £0.76 (Bulgaria) to £1.23 (Netherlands).

Diesel ranges from £0.70 (Poland) to £1.12 (UK).

The RAC Foundation’s EU fuel data is updated weekly (and handily converts all prices to sterling). See prices in every European country in euros at Fuel-Prices-Europe.info. Prices are indicative only – they may be considerably higher on busy routes and much less out in the sticks. Differences between countries are likely less marked in border areas with the exception of Belgium and Luxembourg where prices are regulated. Prix Carburants lists all fuel prices in France by region. 

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A standard Land Rover Discovery Sport – aside from the fitment of rail wheels – has pulled 100t of rail carriages across the Rhine in north east Switzerland. The 180bhp SUV allied to a regular 9 speed automatic gearbox has a certified towing weight of 2.5t. Land Rover credits its range of towing and traction aids including tow assist and tow hitch assist among others. The crossing is the 254m Hemishofen Bridge in Stein am Rhein, 55km north east of Zurich, part of the 100km Etzweilen-Singen heritage rail route. 

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roundup: the next Paris annual car-free day on Sunday 25 September will be five times larger than last year’s inaugural event says a statement from Paris.fr (this is distinct from the now monthly car-free day confined, for the moment, to the Champs-Elysees). More than 650km of roads will be barred in all districts of the city centre, at least partially, or 45 percent of the entire area. Residents however will be allowed to drive, albeit at a maximum 20kmh. Over in Brussels however, the city council has again voted to reduce the size of its new pedestrian zone, notably at the north end Place de Brouckere outside the Metropole Hotel, though it’s not clear from reports in Flanders Today or Brussels The Bulletin if this is a victory for hard hit businesses, or just part of the tinkering promised at the outset… British Chancellor George Osborne says a vote to leave the EU next week could jeopardise both the £250 million M20 Operation Stack truck park and the planned second Thames Crossing, reports Kent Online, because the savings from an emergency budget in the wake of Brexit would put all high capital projects at risk. Earlier this week, a survey of RHA Road Haulage Association members showed 60 percent in favour of leaving, with 30 percent wanting to stay and 10 percent undecided. Among firms with 65 vehicles or more, 80 percent will vote to remain and 17 percent to leave.

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Science says Norway’s Atlantic Road is Europe’s best road.

Also, new autobahn bridge collapses in Germany. Swingeing fine for radar jammer in Spain. Paris old car ban will apply to foreign vehicles. Turkey swallows half world’s infrastructure spending. A highly influential new Think Tank wants rid of Germany’s petrol and diesel engines. Experimental speed limit cut on busy A7 stretch Lyon-Avignon. Landslide-prone SS51 to Cortina cut again.

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NORWAY ATLANTIC ROAD IS ULTIMATE SUMMER DRIVE

Has everything drivers want says science, but very hard for Brits to get to.

Storseisund Bridge on Norway’s Atlantic Road. Photo NasjonaleTuristveger.no

A combination of the climate, scenery, curves, road condition, traffic and road side facilities make Norway’s Atlantic Road Europe’s ‘Ultimate Summer Drive’ according to TomTom.

Psychologists asked drivers what they most wanted for a great summer drive – 70 percent want scenery, 25 percent want gentle bends and good visibility and 20 percent a remote, quiet road.

Atlantic Road beat Portugal’s Estoril Ocean Drive into second and the roads around Italy’s Lake Como into third.

The issue for UK drivers is getting to Norway since there is no ferry to Scandinavia – though hopes are high of a new route soon.

By chance, @Fletchdale is in Norway at the moment (and has taken some fantastic pictures).

He caught the ferry to Oslo from Kiel in northern Germany.

There are also ferries from northern Denmark, or head the long way via the Oresund Link and Sweden (see more on driving to Norway).

The other option is to catch the DFDS freight ferry to Norway from the UK though this is not the luxury option (read a review).

Atlantic Road – known as route 64 Atlanterhavsvegen locally – runs for 36km just west of Kristiansund in south west Norway and is one of 18 official Tourist Routes. See more at NasjonaleTuristveger.no

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A horrifying accident today as an under-construction bridge on the A7 autobahn north of Wurzburg collapsed killing two workmen and seriously injured six others. Around 40 meters of the bridge at Schraudenbach near Werneck fell onto the local road below, along with a scaffold. It is not clear what caused the accident. The new structure was being built alongside the existing 50 year old bridge, part of Germany’s wholesale bridge infrastructure programme as it attempts to reverse decades of under investment. Photo @DoroBaer.

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roundup: a driver in Spain was fined €6000 for installing a ‘radar inhibitor’, concealed in the front bumper, says national roads manager @DGTes… Germany’s motoring club ADAC says the upcoming Paris old car ban will apply to foreign vehicles. That is not something we have been able to establish so far despite best efforts. From 1 July, all cars registered before 1 January 1997, and all motorbikes before 1 June 2000, will be banned from the area inside the BP Boulevard Peripherique during day time weekdays with fines starting from 1 September 2016… amazingly Turkey accounted for almost half of global infrastructure investment in 2015 according to the World Bank reports Hurriyet Daily News. The Euro-Asian country took $44.7 billion out of €111.6 billion in total. Most of it went on a new airport in Istanbul but $6.4 billion was spent on the new west coast Istanbul-Izmir motorway, including a massive new bridge, which will cut the current 9 hour journey by two thirds… a (rich) new Berlin think tank – a sister group to the one which dominated Germany’s recent renewable anti-nuclear ‘energy transition’ – is tasked with cutting CO2 emissions from transport. With ‘few exceptions’ Agora Verkehrswende wants all new cars sold in ‘about’ twenty years to be electric says Handelsblatt, an ambition backed up by the (Green party) minister responsible for energy. Tesla shares allegedly rose 1 percent on the back of the news… today is the first day of a twelve month experiment to cut the speed limit on the A7 at Valence, southern France, down to 90kmh in an effort to improve air quality reports VINCI Autoroutes. The motorway – between Lyon and Avignon – runs alongside the River Rhone through the city centre. The limit is cut to 110kmh on the southbound approach then 90kmh for 6km though the city. Up to 70,000 vehicles use this stretch each day. Pollution – and speeds – will be monitored continuously… the landslide-prone SS51 Alemagna State Road in the Dolomites, on the approach to glamorous resort Cortina d’Ampezzo at Acquabona, has been cut off yet again. Early doors drivers today found rocks strewn across the road. SS51 saw three landslides last year, all without major injury though one driver only escaped after climbing a tree. The road is said to be particularly vulnerable thanks to illegal building which removed natural cover. It’s not clear when it may reopen though there is a local diversion according to Corriere della Alpi…

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Updated: after widespread calls to postpone the upcoming minimum wage rule for international commercial drivers in France, the European Commission opens cases against France and Germany.

Also, Romania’s Transalpina is open but not sure about Transfagarasan. Channel freight business booms for P&O. Classic car club joins forces with UNESCO to beat Paris ban. Harsh fines for German speeders. Aircraft lands on rush hour A2 autobahn. Swiss government confirms no-EU hire car rule.

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CONFUSION OVER IMMINENT FRANCE TRUCK MINIMUM WAGE

Widespread calls for new law to be delayed. See below for update.

Drivers from eleven EU countries (peacefully) protested in Brussels today about the French minimum wage rule. Last week, their governments published an open letter at the EU Council meeting of transport ministers in Luxembourg urging action on the new law. Photo @ASTIC

Just over two weeks before it takes effect, there is still much confusion over the new minimum wage law for truck drivers in France.

It is not clear if the law applies just to foreign drivers on internal ‘cabotage’ jobs, those making deliveries or, though this is unlikely, all truck drivers passing through France (updated, see below).

Until the situation is clarified, the IRU International Road Transport Union, the UK’s FTA Freight Transport Association and Belgium’s FEBETRA transport federation have all called for the implementation to be delayed.

The IRU’s Michael Nielsen says, ‘It is completely unacceptable to impose these obligations, without first thoroughly informing those who will be responsible for complying with them, especially noting that hauliers face a € 500,000 fine if found guilty of not complying with the rules.’

Chris Yarsley, FTA’s EU Affairs Manager, said: ‘It is unacceptable that the French government has not given industry full information and guidance on these new measures, only days before they come into force. The sector must be given more time to adapt business practices before any enforcement takes place.’

FEBETRA echoes these statements and also wonders whether ‘all the red tape’ should apply to its members since the Belgian minimum wage is higher than the one in France.

The ‘Loi Macron Law’ which comes into effect on 1 July 2016 means operators have to register, appoint a representative in France, and fill out lengthy official paperwork to show the driver is paid at least the French minimum wage (€9.67 per hour or €1457.52 per month).

Employers can be fined €2000 per driver up to a maximum of €500,000.

Three versions of the five page declaration to be filled in by the employer – Declaration Prealable de Detachment – were posted by the French employment ministry last week, relating to temporary work, ‘intragroup mobility’ and other. The forms do at least contain English translations.

Update 16 June: the European Commission has opened an ‘infringement procedure’ against France (and Germany) over their minimum wage rules.

‘In both cases,’ it says in a statement, ‘the Commission considers that the application of the minimum wage to certain international transport operations having only a marginal link to the territory of the host Member State cannot be justified, as it creates disproportionate administrative barriers, which prevent the internal market from functioning properly. The Commission considers that more proportionate measures should be taken to safeguard the social protection of workers and to ensure undistorted competition, whilst allowing for free movement of services and goods.’

Both countries have two months to respond. The French Minister for Transport said its new rules actually limit the administrative burden and will ensure existing regulations are complied with. The OTRE haulage union calls the EU probe ‘scandalous’ and shocking’ saying the situation in the French haulage market shows existing rules are not respected. However, rival union FNTR said France should have waited for the outcome of the German minimum wage case.

The Commission also clarified that the French minimum wage rule ‘applies to cabotage and all international transport operations (transit excluded).’

The Commission has also launched a public consultation on its upcoming ‘Road Initiatives’, asking respondents about problems in the road transport sector, and the impacts of possible policy measures. It is open to everyone and closes on 15 September 2016.

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Transalpina: Romania’s second blue chip mountain road – after Transfagarasan – opened for the summer last Friday (10 June) according to @RomaniaTourism. D67C Transalpina 2145m runs parallel to its more famous neighbour, 70 miles to the west. EVO magazine’s Henry Catchpole drove both roads in a Jaguar F-TYPE. Meanwhile, Transfagarasan currently stars in Ford’s Great European Driving Road series with Steve Sutcliffe. It’s not clear when Transfagarasan will open this year. It was closed when we were there in June. Last year it opened on 1 July.

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roundup: P&O’s freight business is booming on the English Channel according to InvestDover – the Dover-Calais operator has recorded 13 straight months of more than 100,000 trucks per month breaking the previous record of seven straight months in 2012… classic car umbrella organisation FIVA Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens has persuaded cultural heritage watchdog UNESCO to back select events reports Classic Cars for Sale. It is hoped that UNESCO endorsement will help persuade major cities not to ban historic vehicles such as Paris is intending to do from 1 July… Drivers who exceed the speed limit by 30kmh should be fined €1000 says Lower Saxony Interior minister Boris Pistorius. The left-leaning politician could also propose fines based on income at a meeting German’s interior ministers tomorrow – though he accepts that neither plan is likely to be accepted according to SZ Suddeutsche Zeitung. Germany’s traffic fines are notably low compared to most other EU countries. Meanwhile, a Swiss driver was fined €15 for driving at 15kmh through the centre of Lahr in Baden-Wurttemberg a reports The Local Switzerland. Vehicles are limited to walking pace, or 7kmh, in the town. Also, a light aircraft pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on an autobahn yesterday afternoon after the plane developed engine trouble. He was also forced to land against the flow of traffic, near Gutersloh, on the A2 between Dortmund and Hanover. Aside from clipping a truck as it came to a halt there was no damage, or injuries… Switzerland‘s government has confirmed drivers are not allowed to take Swiss-registered hire cars into EU countries. The new EU rule has been causing some consternation and confusion, especially in Geneva airport which is half in neighbouring France. The new rule is apparently designed to prevent stolen cars being imported into the EU. Public broadcaster Swiss.info said yesterday that while a better solution is worked out, hire companies have been allowed to buy EU-registered vehicles for use outside Switzerland.

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