1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
Demo threat as Mont Blanc opens to Es
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• by Guy Sheppard International hauliers could face massive disruption from environmental campaigners next month when the Mont Blanc tunnel through the Alps Is opened up to all trucks.
As many as 1,000 protesters provided a foretaste of what Is likely to happen when they gathered near the French end of the tunnel on Monday (13 May). They were protesting that lorries weigh Mg between 19 and 28 tonnes are now being allowed through for the first time since 39 people died in the tunnel when a lorry caught fire In 1999.
The International Road Transport Union says this demonstration Is probably minor compared to what will happen when the tunnel Is reopened to all trucks on June 25.
Spokesman Guy Willis says: "Their real fury will be reserved for the artics. Anything you see now Is likely to be small beer compared with that." He adds that existing restrictions mean the tunnel Is still effectively closed to international hauliers because they rely on much bigger trucks than 28-tonners.
"They [the protesters] were going to try to persuade anyone in a vehicle larger than 19 tonnes not to go through, but there weren't any takers," says Willis.
Local residents and environmentalists want to prevent HMIs using the tunnel, claiming they are dangerous and cause too much pollution.
George Unla, president of the Association for the Respect of the Mont Blanc Site, has pledged: "We're going to resist—actively but non-violently,"