The construction and expansions planned for the entire port basin of Genoa will eliminate at least four hundred parking spaces for industrial vehicles, in a city where these are already scarce. This is the claim made by seven trucking associations (AliAI/Alia Claai, Cna Fita, Confartigianato Trasporti, Fai Liguria, Fiap, Legacoop, and Trasportounito), who have organized a slow-moving truck demonstration for March 4, 2024, in the Ligurian capital. The demonstration also focuses on the toll increases on highways, which negate the compensations provided following the Morandi Bridge collapse.
Parking problems are expected to emerge just after this summer when several major construction sites will begin, occupying spaces currently used for parking industrial vehicles. In October, the Gronda project will eliminate about 135 spaces in Bolzaneto, and another 120 spots might disappear at Erzelli for the construction of the Ponente hospital (the concession for this space has not been renewed today).
Near the port, the airport expansion could remove about 180 spaces currently granted by the Port System Authority, and in nearby Voltri, the expansion of the Pra' container terminal railway junction is expected to clear another hundred vehicles (here too, the concession has not been signed). All these displaced vehicles currently have no alternative location and will have to occupy urban spaces or move several kilometers away from the city.
Another issue to be addressed is the increase in highway tolls, which effectively cancels out the benefits of the compensations that Autostrade per l'Italia is providing to transporters to offset the higher costs caused by the construction (this time on the highways) following the Morandi Bridge collapse. The transporters claim that the highway company is taking back with one hand the money it gives with the other. Furthermore, transporters are facing significant difficulties in using the online portal established by Autostrade per l'Italia specifically for disbursing the funds.
The transport representatives had asked to use the existing portal created by the Port Authority after the Morandi Bridge collapse, possibly with some modifications, but the highway company opted to create a new one, which, according to transporters, suffers from inconveniences and delays. As a result, Autostrade has extended the deadline for submitting applications by a few days.
The truck protest will start on Monday, March 4, from the former Ilva area. This location was chosen deliberately, as the freight transport sector has requested to establish a vehicle park in this abandoned area, which would not just be a parking lot but also an area with services for drivers.
