Croatia needs a new transport strategy Green Forum, the Croatian environmental NGO network, has today issued a case study of the EUR 500 000 000 Corridor Vc motorway connecting Budapest, Osijek, Sarajevo and Ploce which claims that the project is unnecessary, environmentally destructive, and will not necessarily bring the expected economic benefits.
Green Forum, the Croatian environmental NGO network, has today issued a case study of the EUR 500 000 000 Corridor Vc motorway connecting Budapest, Osijek, Sarajevo and Ploce which claims that the project is unnecessary, environmentally destructive, and will not necessarily bring the expected economic benefits.
The case study, which was prepared as part of a larger analysis of European transport corridors being compiled by CEE Bankwatch, shows that promises of economic growth from the project have been exaggerated and appear to be the product of wishful thinking rather than thorough analysis. Traffic predictions do not appear to justify the construction of a motorway on this route, and the section to the North-West of Osijek is likely to have a devastating effect on the Dravski ritovi area, which is home to several protected species.
"The Vc motorway is only one example of Croatia's flawed transport strategy" said Ivan Posinjak, transport section co-ordinator of Zelena akcija. "The Government must stop clinging to its belief that motorway megaprojects will bring economic growth for Croatia and focus on making transport more efficient. With oil prices rising and the necessity of reducing C02 emissions, Croatia needs to put its resources into less energy intensive modes of transport such as railways."
38% of Croatia's transport budget is currently allocated just for motorways, with 68% of the budget spent on all roads, compared to the 40% planned in the 1999 Transport Strategy .
Green Forum is calling on the Government to suspend the preparations for the Vc motorway until traffic levels exceed a daily average of 20 000 vehicles throughout the year, and the Bosnian and Hungarian sections are at an advanced stage, and is demanding that the section across Dravski ritovi should not be built at all, with the motorway instead joining the Osijek bypass. Green Forum is also calling on the International Financial Institutions and the EU not to finance the project.
For more information read the whole study below.
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