Response to interpellation 2022/23:365 on resource allocation to the roads in Jämtland County
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that road maintenance is a priority for the government and that investments have been made in the budget bill for 2023 1 2. KD admits that the maintenance debt is large and that the "cake" needs to grow. KD argues that they have halted the planning of new main lines for high-speed trains in order not to risk these displacing maintenance measures 3. S argues that the roads in Jämtland County are the worst in Sweden and that the low resource allocation worsens the possibilities for standard upgrades. S believes that there are injustices and too large differences between the counties 4. S asks whether KD is prepared to review the calculation bases for the county grants.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Kalle Olsson has asked me if I am prepared to review the calculation bases for the regional county allocations so that they reflect the extent of the road network and the needs of citizens and industry for functioning roads. Kalle Olsson has further asked me if I am prepared to task the Transport Administration with providing an analysis of the road standards in the counties to obtain a more accurate basis for upcoming decisions on the distribution of the county allocations.
A well-functioning infrastructure is important to ensure a long-term sustainable transport supply for the citizens and the business community throughout the country. It is of great importance that the maintenance of the roads maintains a high quality. It is important for both accessibility and traffic safety.
Just as in my answer to a written question recently from Kalle Olsson, I would like to once again provide a clarification. Regarding maintenance measures, funds are allocated at the national level, and it is Trafikverket that plans for that entire operation. The county plans cover investments in the transport infrastructure on the so-called county roads. There, the regions have the opportunity to make the considerations and prioritizations deemed appropriate. It is, however, important to point out that the county plans do not handle operation and maintenance on our state roads. Kalle Olsson's questions regarding the calculation bases for appropriations to the frameworks for county plans and the connection to road maintenance are therefore misleading.
Road maintenance is a priority area for the government. The government has therefore implemented investments in road maintenance in the budget bill for 2023. This creates better conditions to improve the infrastructure and, among other things, strengthen robustness, raise the standard, and increase accessibility.
The needs within the infrastructure are great, and it is necessary to make deliberate prioritizations between different measures. It is important that this is done in an orderly process with a sufficient basis. The Government is about to initiate a new infrastructure planning process and intends to return to issues regarding the long-term infrastructure planning. In that process, we will also take a position on the county plans.
Kalle Olsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to the Minister for the answer to my interpellation - an interpellation about roads, more specifically the roads in Jämtland County, my constituency and my home county.
If one wants to make it easy for oneself, Mr. Speaker, one can simply say: worst in Sweden. Most recently, it was Transportföretagen who, in their review, reached that conclusion: The roads in Jämtland County are the worst in Sweden. For those of us who live along these roads and drive on them, this is no surprise. We can only say that it is a correct description of reality, because that is how it looks.
In a rural county like Jämtland, these problems become particularly palpable because alternatives to the car are often lacking. To Bakvattnet, there are perhaps one or, at best, two buses per day, and that is how it looks in many places in Jämtland County and other rural counties. People drive cars because one needs to drive a car. People also wear out their cars because the roads are so poor.
It is often about aging roads in need of investments and standard upgrades, exactly what the county plan funds are intended to enable. The problem then becomes what is, so to speak, the point of my interpellation: the low resource allocation. There is also reason to address the Minister, who in his response brings in the Swedish Transport Administration's maintenance responsibility. The low allocation that Jämtland has received for the roads for a long time does indeed mean that the opportunities to invest in standard upgrades and improvements such as improved accessibility and increased traffic safety are steadily deteriorating.
When one cannot asphalt the dilapidated gravel road and Trafikverket is simultaneously forced into tough prioritizations of its maintenance, the road continues to deteriorate. A bad road becomes even worse over time. Therefore, I argue, perhaps somewhat in opposition to the Minister's answer, that it is highly relevant to highlight the low allocation of county planning funds to Jämtlands län and what consequences that has. It would surprise me if the Minister did not want to acknowledge that connection, because I believe it is highly relevant.
Jämtland County is, Mr. Speaker, Sweden's third largest county by area with a state county road network of 560 miles. Of these, 200 miles are gravel roads. Despite this, the county receives approximately the same amount of road funding as Blekinge County. And just to be very clear: I am completely convinced that Blekinge County needs every single krona of its county allocation. That is not the point. The point is that there is a skew here, an injustice built into the distribution model.
The county plan for Jämtland is just under 600 million kronor for the years 2022-2033. At that time, it was still a fairly decent increase compared to what the previous S-led government did. I believe it was somewhere around 8 percent in relative terms that they increased the county plans by. That is still quite okay. But if we divide 600 million over twelve years, we land on 50 million per year. You don't have to be a road engineer at Trafikverket to understand that for 50 million, it will be very little road, possibly a bit of walking and cycling path.
Given the response from the Minister, I must ask if the Minister recognizes the problem that I am trying to describe here with the low resource allocation over time in relation to the large road network. Is the Minister prepared to review the calculation bases for the county appropriations so that they better reflect the extent of the road network as well as the needs of citizens and industry for functioning roads?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Kalle Olsson, for shedding light on a very pressing issue! This is a priority for the government - to upgrade the Swedish infrastructure, to begin tackling the large maintenance debt that has accumulated over a very long time, not least regarding the road network.
One does not need to travel many miles on the roads in our elongated country to see and realize that significant investments need to be made. Large parts of the road network were built before 1970 and have a technical lifespan of between 40 and 60 years. If it has not already been exceeded, it is beginning to approach its lifespan. For the government, this means that during the coming mandate period, we shall prioritize continued improvements of the infrastructure we have, repair where needed, and manage our common resources in the best possible way. That is why I have pointed out maintenance as a priority issue.
That was also why we, in the first budget, which we presented just weeks after taking office, reinforced the maintenance. We moved funds from railway maintenance, which otherwise could not have been converted into operational work, to the roadside. And we reinforced it with an additional quarter of a billion kronor. It is still not enough in any way, given the great needs we have, Mr. Speaker.
But let me begin by answering the two questions by stating that I realize and admit that it may not primarily be about what the distribution should look like, but rather that the cake needs to grow when it comes to maintenance measures. Just as Kalle Olsson describes, it is not only in Jämtland that the needs are great. It applies in every region. Therefore, it is important that maintenance is prioritized.
In that work, I welcome all initiatives, such as this interpellation and other discussions we can have, in order to make this visible. It is not always road maintenance, drum replacements, and paving works that provide the biggest headlines. It is the somewhat larger projects that put different municipalities and towns on the map. It is then that one cuts the ribbon.
I would gladly come to Jämtland and cut a ribbon for, for example, a paving project or something that makes life easier for people who are dependent on the car in their daily lives. We are not going to point fingers and say that it is a wrong priority. One has no other choice, just as Kalle Olsson says. Therefore, the road repair is important.
My answer regarding the calculation bases was an attempt to describe how the concepts relate to each other and who is responsible for what. But the main issue in the two questions that Kalle Olsson poses concerns the resources as a whole and that there are resources to maintain our roads and also railways in Sweden.
The maintenance debt has been allowed to grow so much for such a long time. We probably will not be able to reverse everything during one parliamentary term. But we have pointed out a clear direction: that road maintenance needs to be prioritized. It is stated in the government statement. It is evident in the budget. And we will return with more reforms in that direction. In that work, I look forward to continued dialogue with Kalle Olsson.
I am familiar with roads in different parts of the country. I have also traveled on roads in Jämtland and know that the needs are significant. That is why maintenance and upgrading is a priority for the government.
Kalle Olsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I want to insist a little bit on the importance of the regions having the opportunity to work with the development of their roads. With 50 million per year over twelve years, that is very little development. It is important to make that clear to the Minister and the Government now that they are starting to look at the next revision of the national plan. Part of that is about having a good basis to work with.
Earlier this spring, I submitted a question to the Riksdag's investigation service regarding precisely the calculation bases for the appropriations to the regions. I wanted to know which parameters underlie the levels and how they are weighted against each other. Such transparency is lacking today. I know that the region in Jämtland has for a long time sought answers to this in dialogue with the departments, Trafikverket, perhaps even back to the time of Vägverket, what do I know.
Unfortunately, the Riksdag's investigation service did not get very far with my question. The answer I received back was that "both the size of and the distribution of funds to county plans are decided after a political assessment. The basis for the decisions includes information on, among other things, population, employment, and traffic in the different regions."
The parameters mentioned – population, employment, and traffic – are of course relevant. But they do not provide the whole picture. One parameter that is not included is what we are discussing here today: the extent of the road network and the need for improvements. If the fact that Jämtlands län has a large number of roads in need of standard upgrades is not in itself a reason to justify increased appropriations, one naturally gets stuck in the negative spiral that we find ourselves in today. The roads continue to slowly but surely deteriorate.
Trafikverket's maintenance funds are also insufficient on long roads to meet the needs. On the contrary, the authority has signaled that it has too few resources, which forces tough prioritizations. In those cases, it is often the low-traffic road network that is sidelined. Then we are back to the countryside and in rural areas. Then those people get it worse, even in this respect.
One way to address the skewed distribution that I believe is built into today's distribution model of the grants to the regions is to clarify the needs and to task Trafikverket with analyzing the road standards so that it can be included in a basis for the government's continued work ahead of the upcoming county plans. Furthermore, it is a proposal that the Norrland counties have put forward jointly, and I believe it has reached the Minister.
Is the Government prepared to consider giving Trafikverket that assignment, in order to have a better basis for the continued process?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Kalle Olsson said regarding the first part of his contribution that it was an important message. I just want to acknowledge that message.
Kalle Olsson says that it is slowly but surely getting worse. It is not going particularly slowly in all places, but it is going quite fast now. Just as I described, a large part of the Swedish road network was built before 1970 and is beginning to pass its lifespan. Therefore, the maintenance needs are significant.
The level of transparency that prevails can be discussed. It is the government that submits proposals on a national level. But already now, we have pointed out that the maintenance of the roads and railways shall be prioritized. It is stated in the government statement, and it appears in our first budget. We will return to this.
The first step in the work is precisely the orientation assignment. Trafikverket will be tasked with producing an orientation basis. This, in turn, will form the basis for the upcoming infrastructure bill, where the government submits proposals to the Riksdag regarding economic frameworks and the orientation for the new planning period. That maintenance is to be re-evaluated in that work cannot, given the government's priorities, come as a surprise to anyone.
The national plan that applies now is the responsibility of the previous government. Kalle Olsson can ask the previous government why they have not prioritized the maintenance to a sufficient extent. I can provide information regarding this government's work. Then we can return to how it is materialized in the budget, which reinforcements may be possible regarding the county plans and the regions' responsibilities and what they can influence.
The important message today is that maintenance shall be prioritized upwards. I appreciate Kalle Olsson's commitment to this. I hope that more Members of Parliament will agree. I have received questions about the previous reprioritization and what signals it gives to prioritize road maintenance upwards. My message is that it gives good signals. Many people are dependent on the car in their everyday lives to make the daily puzzle fit together.
It gives an even more positive signal considering the electric cars that are becoming an ever larger part of the vehicle fleet. A better road network will be required, because they weigh more than cars with internal combustion engines. That the road maintenance is prioritized is therefore also an important part of the transition of the vehicle fleet. We will return. I look forward to it. I am happy to continue the dialogue with Kalle Olsson.
Kalle Olsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! We members of Parliament come here to the Riksdag from different parts of the country, from Skaraborg, Jönköping, Malmö, Stockholm and so on. We all carry with us questions and problems that characterize the everyday life that we share with those who have placed us here to represent them. One question that all members of Parliament from Jämtland have had reason to engage in since time immemorial is precisely, I almost dare to say, the road issue.
Already in the government statement, the Prime Minister set the bar quite high regarding these issues, which the Minister of State was touching upon. He stated, among other things, that the development of the countryside is crucial for the success of the whole of Sweden, that all of Sweden must be given the conditions to live, and that the possibility of traveling to work and with family is fundamental.
It is easy to sign off on those words. But they are also encouraging words, and I truly hope that the government seriously wants to address the major differences that it actually concerns. There are injustices and far too large differences between the counties. I hope that the government acts quickly and gives Trafikverket the very concrete assignment to produce a basis where they analyze the road standards, because it would no longer be possible to turn a blind eye to this.
The Minister received an invitation from the previous interpellor. He is also welcome to Jämtland County and to take a turn in my Volvo 240 on a road network that leaves a great deal to be desired. I hope that the Minister takes to heart the issues we have discussed here today. And he is, as said, very welcome to Jämtland County!
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! My conviction that maintenance needs to be prioritized requires no further reinforcement. It is a priority for me and the government. Just as Kalle Olsson referred to, that line was already drawn in the government statement.
We have also reorganized the departments so that the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure is consolidated. This lies naturally within the ongoing work for my colleague the Minister for Rural Affairs and me at the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure. It will be guiding for the assignment we give the Transport Administration and for the work with the national plan. It is also why we have canceled the planning of new main lines for high-speed trains, which would otherwise risk consuming a very large part of the infrastructure cake for a long time to come in Sweden. On one hand, it would have pushed out own maintenance measures, and on the other hand, it would have eaten up much of the cake for other measures.
Mr. Speaker! I referred to the fact that a drum change or a paving project may not always yield the biggest headlines, but it can have a very large impact on people's everyday lives in the countryside if such problems are not addressed. Therefore, it is a priority for the government.
I look forward to continued dialogue and truly welcome the interpellation and the commitment. I have received an invitation from the regions and have indicated that I look forward to having a dialogue also in the work of producing a national plan with those regions and with all regions in Sweden. It is an important part of that process.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.