An important milestone for the Italian highway network, which has completed a century of its life, in 2024. A century of continuous economic development of the country, in which the highway infrastructure is the undisputed driving force and enabling factor, then, as now, it assumes a strategic and irreplaceable role in terms of the mobility of goods and people. Today, we have entered a new “revolution” in transportation; A transformation in line with today’s current needs, starting from the awareness of the strategic nature of the road and highway network for our economic system, making it the hero of the ecological transition. The country is becoming increasingly safer. So how can we solve the challenges of sustainable mobility?
These were the themes at the heart of the meeting at Chiostro del Bramante in Rome on Thursday, January 25, attended by Matteo Salvini, Deputy President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. Federico Boschi of the energy department of the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, Eni Maurizio Maugeri, head of sustainable B2B coordination-energy development, Marco Belloli, director of the mechanical department of the Polytechnic of Milan, Ennio Cascetta, professor of infrastructure and transport system, and Roberto Tomasi, CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia.
Motorways and the Italian car fleet: what to do?
Let’s look at the numbers first. The Italian automobile fleet is represented by approximately 40 million vehicles. Today, approximately 30% of daily movements of goods and people take place on highways, which represent only 3% of the entire national road network. On the one hand, the figures confirm the strategic importance of the highway network for the economic fabric of the country, and on the other hand, the need for a general consideration of modernization and renewal of the network in order to extend its useful life and durability capability. the stress we are exposed to every day. A complex heritage, unique in the European panorama, consisting of six thousand kilometers of toll highways managed by multiple concessionaires, more than 1,200 kilometers of bridges and viaducts, 500 kilometers of tunnels, with an average lifespan of between 50 and 70 years. A network whose traffic is constantly increasing and is close to saturation level in some sections. Therefore, the value of an asset that requires investment in modernization and expansion is estimated between 60 and 120 billion.
Making road transport sustainable
In 2019 alone, the transport sector in Italy contributed to approximately 27% of total emissions, of which more than 80% can be attributed to road transport alone. Considering the target of reducing CO2 emissions by 43%, set by the European Union for our country in the “Fit for 55” program, this is a figure that confirms the necessity of making road transportation sustainable.
The event in Rome was also an opportunity to present the book “The revolution in sustainable mobility starts from motorways. Safe, digital, decarbonised”, published by Sole 24 Ore and created in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Milan, University of Campania. Luigi Vanvitelli, University of Naples Federico II, Cnr Stems, Autostrade per l’Italia, Cdp, Enea, Eni, Rse-Ricercasistema energia and Snam. A text that shows how this challenge can only be achieved by bringing together a multitude of solutions, ranging from digitalization interventions, to the development of alternative energy vectors with a technological neutrality approach, and, no less relevant, sustainable behavior of each of us.
Words of CEO Roberto Tomasi
“The figures clearly demonstrate the importance of our country’s motorway network, a widespread infrastructure around which Italy’s main industrial sectors have developed,” said Roberto Tomasi, CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia. The economic boom that today offers us the opportunity to win a new and great challenge A positive revolution that will take the network into the future, making it green, digital, increasingly secure and high-performing: a commitment that we at Autostrade per l’Italia are committed to We are facing, but not all players in the industry , they need to be placed in a system that will define the existing investments, the necessary technical and professional profiles and follow together a linear path that can contribute positively to the development of regulatory institutions. The system is also at European level”.
“Electricity and biofuels to make mobility more sustainable”
“Environmental sustainability – continues Tomasi – cannot ignore economic and social sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor, systematize regional trends through the establishment of an observatory that allows the assessment of the effects of any action in the context of ecological transition. Supporting the government and the ministry of transport and infrastructure In the figures “In view of this, if the aim is to reduce the carbon footprint, there are many solutions to make road mobility more sustainable: the expansion of electricity, biofuels and the digitalization of the highway system, as well as for the urban system”.
Salvini: “Not only no to electric, but also yes to electric”
Speaking at the end of the event, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini said: “Removing non-electric cars from the market from 2035 is a suicidal choice in environmental, economic and social terms.” “Environmental sustainability – explained Salvini – cannot be separated from economic and social sustainability, otherwise we risk the ECB effect, which confirms that rates do not fall. The European Central Bank has managed to contain inflation by suppressing credit and consumption, which has increased the cost of money, which has caused serious losses in housing loans, sales and consumption “It led to a collapse. That’s why I don’t want a sustainable country, but a desperate, conflict-ridden and unemployed country.”
“We need alternatives,” Salvini later said in another passage. If someone fails to buy a Tesla today, it’s because they don’t have money. “If only 400,000 people out of a fleet of 40 million vehicles in circulation had chosen Tesla, not only would electricity be a no, but electricity would be a yes, not because they were nostalgic, but because there were only three models priced below 20,000 euros and it was a period of economic hardship for most people.” said.
Source: Today IT
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
