Response to interpellation 2023/24:126 on Förbifart Stockholm
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the traffic situation on Ekerövägen during the construction of Förbifart Stockholm and the importance of ensuring that emergency vehicles can get through. KD argues that Trafikverket already has in its ongoing mandate to ensure that the requirements of the blue-light authorities are met 1 2. KD emphasizes that it is important that Trafikverket follows these requirements and that they have a good dialogue with the citizens 2. SD considers that the authority needs clear directives in regulatory letters to ensure accessibility for emergency vehicles, as the current situation creates obstacles for police and ambulance 3 4. SD emphasizes that rapid assistance is crucial to minimize lifelong injuries 4. SD wants the authority to prioritize blue-light operations 4 5.
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! Thomas Morell has asked me if I intend to take measures to alleviate the strained traffic situation on Ekerö due to Förbifart Stockholm.
A reconstruction of Ekerövägen is currently underway, which will result in fewer queues and increased accessibility, particularly for public transport. It is concerning if the reconstruction work causes problems with accessibility for a long period, especially given that Ekerövägen is the only land connection for the residents of Ekerö island's commuting to and from western suburbs and Stockholm. I assume that the agency, from its mandate, is doing its utmost to minimize the disruptions that occur during the construction period for commuters but also for emergency vehicles and other traffic. As Thomas Morell is aware, it is not appropriate for the government or an individual minister to micro-manage the agency's work in individual projects.
Thomas Morell (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister! I will start with the last sentence, that the Minister does not have the possibility to provide detailed instructions. I am aware of that. But if I am not misinformed, a regulatory letter to the authority is underway, and in that it is actually possible to direct how they should review such matters when obstacles arise in traffic.
I have personally driven on Ekerövägen to get an idea of what it is like. It stands still in the morning and the afternoon. What strikes me is: Where do I go if emergency vehicles arrive? I have no escape route, if I may say so. It stands still for them as well. It is a huge concern.
Earlier today, during the question period, we spoke about how things come to a standstill when the snow and ice control does not work. I have spoken with my former colleagues within the police. They are extremely frustrated when they cannot reach an accident site when something has occurred or when they are to carry out another operation. It is precisely the same concerns.
It is important that the authority receives clear directives that they must ensure accessibility. If someone loses their life, it is a loss, perhaps not primarily for society but for the family and close relatives. Therefore, as much as can be done must be done to minimize that risk.
Förbifart Stockholm has the task of increasing traffic safety. When it is finished, it will have a positive effect regarding traffic safety. But during the construction period itself, it must not be the case that emergency vehicles cannot get through - police, ambulance, and rescue services. I have pointed this out to the previous government on several occasions, so the authority has had the opportunity to review how to solve the situation.
I hand the ball over to the Minister. Do you have the possibility to write into the regulatory letter that one should ensure that rescue vehicles can get through? It is naturally not only about Ekerö, but it is about all such contexts. It is about people being able to get the help they need when a serious situation occurs.
We are back to the question that was raised during the question period earlier. When the sanding and gritting does not work, it has the same effect. You cannot get through with the interventions that are needed. You also cannot get through with recovery vehicles that can remove the vehicles obstructing the traffic. It becomes, so to speak, a Catch-22. Let us say that one receives another alarm. Then you cannot get past the site. It could involve a detour of several miles. Therefore, when planning new road sections, one needs to ensure that there is some form of escape route so that rescue vehicles can get through.
It naturally also belongs to the matter that the person who is a driver should think one step further. That is not done every time, and we have plenty of evidence of that. One moves forward, and then places oneself in a position that is definitely blocked. There are, therefore, several things in this problem. But it is quite simple, so to speak, to give clear instructions to Trafikverket to ensure that blue-light activities can get through. Then can one, at least the police, act towards those drivers who do not respect the traffic rules.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Let me begin by underlining the importance of the commitment that Thomas Morell shows in these matters. It is not only in the interpellation debates in the Swedish Riksdag that I encounter it, but it happens regularly in the cooperation between the coalition parties. I place a great value on that.
I can say that yesterday I was out and met some of Morell's former colleagues and vehicle inspectors at a checkpoint outside Stockholm. They testify to the same thing that Morell is touching upon. There is very much in the behavior of the road users, that one takes responsibility and shows consideration in traffic.
With that said, it is very important to ensure that the blue-light authorities' requirements and wishes are met at Trafikverket. Trafikverket is already supposed to do this. One can, of course, have a discussion about whether to clarify this further in regulatory letters, but in regulatory letters, it should not primarily be instructions that the authority has in its ongoing mandate. This is about something that Trafikverket is already supposed to ensure. One must ensure that the blue-light authorities' requirements and wishes are met.
I have been informed that Trafikverket's project regarding Ekerövägen has an ongoing dialogue with the blue-light authorities regarding the production as the road construction develops and changes. This is something that I, of course, follow closely and which is very important for the reasons that Thomas Morell is touching upon.
Since the autumn has been a particularly challenging time for many commuting Ekerö residents, Trafikverket organized a public Q&A session yesterday, November 8, at Ekerö Library regarding Ekerövägen and E4 Förbifart Stockholm. It is very important to have a good and close dialogue with the citizens in order to listen to views and be able to provide answers to the questions that are asked. I want to mention that in this interpellation debate.
I also keep myself informed about Trafikverket's work across the country. As recently as Monday, I met with the project regarding Förbifart Stockholm. I was down in the tunnels, which are now blasted out, and saw the work that is ongoing. It is, just as Thomas Morell is pointing out, several years left, seven years to be precise, before they can be opened for traffic. Therefore, it is important that the issue that Thomas Morell raises regarding the strained traffic situation on Ekerö until Förbifart Stockholm opens is handled in the best possible way. It was, of course, also an issue that I had a dialogue with Trafikverket about on Monday.
Thomas Morell (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister! Yes, we have dialogue about road safety quite often, because it is something I am passionate about. Unfortunately, in a previous job, I have been in contact with far too many people who have been seriously injured in traffic accidents. Some have even perished. I am truly passionate about minimizing the number of injured and killed in traffic.
We often read in the newspapers that there were two people in the vehicle who were seriously injured. What one does not consider in that context is that it often becomes a question of lifelong injuries. One can become deaf in one ear or blind in one eye or have something amputated. One does not understand the extent of the injuries that occur and how important it is to quickly reach medical care to prevent the injuries from becoming worse than necessary.
That is why I repeatedly raise this issue. We must ensure that rescue vehicles, ambulances, and the police can get through so that they can help the people who have met with accidents. This obviously benefits the individual but also society. If we can minimize the injuries, the society's costs for care and rehabilitation will be significantly lower.
Since then, we have a lot to do when it comes to road safety in general. It is about getting people to follow traffic rules and about building roads in such a way that collisions do not occur. But we must also keep in mind that emergency vehicles must be able to get through. We build two-plus-one roads to prevent cars from meeting and thus colliding, but when we build those roads, we also create bottlenecks that make it difficult to pass with emergency vehicles. There are therefore opportunities to develop this.
I have confidence that the Minister is working on the issues. We maintain a dialogue, not only here in the chamber but also otherwise. It is about us achieving safer traffic and reducing the impact of accidents in traffic. Furthermore, measures to minimize risks in traffic must not result in repercussions that cause, for example, someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest not to reach medical care. It is important to have several balls in the air and see the connections.
It feels like we have a dialogue where we can move the issue forward. But there is reason to be clear towards the authority in the matter that it should review this and prioritize the blue-light activity, so that it always arrives and can help someone in distress.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I appreciate the dialogue, and I want to repeat what I said in previous answers: that Trafikverket shall ensure that the requirements and wishes of the Blue Light Authority are met, and that accessibility for emergency vehicles is, of course, an important issue. This is an important part of the traffic safety work, which is, of course, highly prioritized for the government and for the coalition party. I appreciate that cooperation, and there will certainly be more occasions to return to the issue.
Today, I only want to acknowledge that it is part of Trafikverket's ongoing work to ensure that the Blue Light Authority's requirements and wishes are met. I am, of course, following that work and keeping myself informed about it.
Thomas Morell (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister!
The question of Ekerövägen, which in itself is a local issue but is nevertheless a national matter, has been up for debate here in the chamber three times. We can hope that representatives from Trafikverket listen to this debate so that they themselves can turn on the light and say "aha, we might have missed something here" and take an action that facilitates accessibility. It is very important. High accessibility even during construction projects saves lives in the event of an emergency.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! It only remains for me to thank you for the debate and for the commitment!
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.