Response to interpellation 2023/24:138 on the fatal accidents on road 56 in Gävleborg

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Mattias Eriksson Falk has asked me several questions regarding road 56, specifically the section Hedesunda-Valbo/Gävle.

To begin with, I would like to express my condolences for the fatal accidents that have occurred on road 56. Every death in traffic is a tragedy.

As I have previously explained in several answers to written questions from Mattias Eriksson Falk over the past few weeks, good road safety is important for the government. On the whole, Swedish road safety work is also successful, and the death toll in road traffic has been halved since the turn of the millennium. It is important that the right measures continue to be made in the road network where they are effective. The zero vision is the basis for road safety work in Sweden, and with the transport policy goals as a starting point, the road network is built and maintained so that as high a level of road safety as possible can be achieved.

I want to remind that at the beginning of October this year, I responded to a written question from Mattias Eriksson Falk regarding road 56 Hedesunda-Valbo/Gävle. In my response, I stated that in the traffic-class-overarching national plan for transport infrastructure 2022-2033, there are several named objects on road 56 with the purpose of improving traffic safety and accessibility. Katrineholm-Bie-Stora Sundby and Sala-Heby are two examples.

The stretch between Hedesunda and Gävle does not, however, constitute a named object in the current plan. Trafikverket plans, however, to carry out traffic safety-enhancing measures in the coming years, including center line marking and new automatic speed monitoring with cameras.

The needs within the infrastructure are great, and deliberate prioritizations need to be made between different measures. It is important that this is done in an orderly process with a sufficient basis. The Government has initiated the work towards a new national plan for the planning period 2026-2037 by, in a first step, commissioning Trafikverket to produce a directional basis. This assignment shall be reported in January next year and shall form the basis for an infrastructure bill with new economic frameworks and direction for a new plan.

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Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking Minister Andreas Carlson for the answer to my interpellation. I understand that the Minister, who is responsible for housing policy and infrastructure, receives many questions and interpellation debates to handle at many different occasions here in the Chamber and in the Government Offices.

It is nothing strange in itself. Housing policy and infrastructure evoke many emotions. It affects people deeply and is a major investment in society, not just for the state and the municipalities but also for every single individual. It concerns the costs of our housing and the connection to infrastructure in the form of costs for vehicles and for gasoline and diesel. At the same time, a home or a vehicle means freedom in every single person's life.

The State has a great responsibility for these issues. With them, we also touch upon the background to my interpellation. In the investments in infrastructure, there are also questions regarding traffic safety, traffic safety-enhancing measures, and making it safer for the person or the persons who drive a car, truck, or bus on our roads or who walk or cycle in connection with our roads.

I am completely certain that the Minister and I agree that these issues are important. My interpellation is also important for these issues. It is submitted in light of the death that recently occurred on road 56 in Gävleborg, specifically on the stretch of just over three miles between Hedesunda and Valbo.

Every death is a tragedy, for society certainly, but above all for the person who dies, for the relatives, such as the cohabitant and children, and for friends – for everyone affected, especially when it occurs as drastically and unexpectedly as with the two fatal accidents that the interpellation concerns. It has ripple effects in every way. It awakens anxiety and sorrow in those affected and in people who live along the road regarding what will happen next.

Fatal accidents and both more and less serious injuries have occurred on the stretch previously. A fatal accident or a serious injury easily becomes part of the statistics. But every case is unique. A fatal accident is unique and is a loss in every way. It is, of course, for everyone affected not just a part of the statistics. It must also never become that.

I have not lost any loved ones in a traffic accident and cannot deeply understand what it means for the one who has. But I know what it means to lose a relative and a close friend and what grief one feels.

I am a Member of Parliament from Gävleborg and know this stretch of road and the problems on it very well. That is the reason why we are standing here today. Through my questions and this interpellation to the Minister, I want to highlight the importance of improvements on the stretch. There have been many accidents. My hope is that the Minister will remember the need for improvements here, especially since the new plan for the national transport infrastructure is to be prepared ahead of 2026.

It is a road that is important for transport and for the companies' opportunities to conduct their business and create jobs. But the road is particularly important for the people and families who live there and who travel there every day. They want to do so safely. And they do not want to see any more lives wasted or be ruined for many years to come.

The issue of road 56 has been dragged out. It has been investigated, it has been planned, it has been investigated again and it has been planned again - for many years, even under the previous government. I understand the frustration of the residents and those who have been affected by all the accidents that have occurred. I hope that road 56 will become safer, for the sake of society but above all for everyone who has been affected and for the people who live along the road.

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Anders W Jonsson (C)

Madam Speaker! I must thank the Minister for a well-considered answer.

I want to supplement this by saying that this is not a new issue. It was raised for the first time in the municipal council in Gävle in the early 90s. Since then, it has been processed forward. But just as the Minister said, it was not included in the previous infrastructure decision, i.e., for the current planning period.

The project was largely ready for a decision to be made. But there was a remaining question. It was not clear where road 56 would connect to the E4. Even I can understand that it is difficult to start building a road if one is not clear on where it should end. Is it at the E4 Gävle södra or even further south? That was the only reason it was not included in that infrastructure decision.

Now that question is solved. I therefore assume that road 56 could very well be accommodated in the decision that the government will make.

I can, however, promise that it has become an uphill battle in this matter, Madam Speaker. It is because when the current regional leadership in Gävleborg was to submit its referral response on the orientation basis, they chose for the first time to remove national road 56. It is no longer included in the region's referral response. It then becomes, of course, tougher for Trafikverket and ultimately for the government to highlight national road 56 in this tight sector, where very much must fit within a given budget space. It is an uphill battle.

The second thing that makes it an uphill battle, Madam Speaker, is that the current regional leadership has chosen instead to prioritize a completely different stretch of road: the motorway between Gävle and Söderhamn. It is a stretch where—thankfully—fatal accidents occur extremely rarely, depending on the fact that it is a divided road with a two-plus-one lane. There are problems with queues in connection with Easter and Christmas weekends, but not fatal accidents. When the region itself says that it is more important to avoid queues on Easter Monday than to save human lives along national road 56, it becomes an uphill battle in the matter.

The decision that the government will make regarding exactly how the money is to be used will, as I understand it, be negotiated between the Tidö parties. The Sverigedemokraterna will therefore be sitting at the negotiating table. If Mattias Eriksson Falk really means business with that this is a prioritized stretch of road, he will ensure that it is included in the government decision, Madam Speaker. But if the government decision does not contain an investment in riksväg 56, it shows that this interpellation debate, with all the words about riksväg 56 and the people who have tragically been killed in accidents there, is nothing other than a show for the galleries.

I hope that Eriksson Falk is serious. If he is, he will see to it that the negative decisions that have been made locally in the region are overturned. Furthermore, he will see to it that road 56 is included when the government is to make the decision, which will, in other words, be countersigned by the Sverigedemokraterna. Otherwise, this is, as said, just a show for the galleries.

Now it is up to the Sweden Democrats to prove. Do they mean business about doing something about national road 56, or do they just want to talk about the issue in the chamber of the Riksdag?

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Roger Hedlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Andreas Carlson, for the answer to the interpellation posed by Mattias Eriksson Falk from the Sverigedemokraterna on this very important issue! Road 56 between Hedesunda and Gävle is very accident-prone, and this has been pointed out in many instances. We want to be part of contributing to raising eyes and seeing the need for measures on this stretch of road. Therefore, I would especially like to thank you for the discussion here today. Sweden has a new government with the support of the Sverigedemokraterna, which can tackle the issue in a way we have not seen before. Now, all opportunities exist to move forward.

A new road layout or improved safety is needed on the stretch. In the minister's response, the importance of center-line markings and speed cameras is pointed out. However, there are already speed cameras in quite a large extent here. Therefore, other measures are needed in the national transport infrastructure plan to ensure that no more accidents occur on this road. It is a road of great national interest, where much traffic is directed downwards into the country. It is important that such lifelines receive the opportunities needed to be traffic-safe and also efficient in the transport infrastructure.

However, I experience a lack of response regarding the importance of getting this into the national transport infrastructure plan. I would have liked to see a clearer direction from the Minister on the issue, but I understand, of course, that the investigation to be presented in the area is awaited before the plan is adopted. It would still have been nice to get a clearer indication that these roads are important.

From the Sweden Democrats' side, we will work to ensure that the resources needed for the infrastructure in Sweden to be both safe and well-developed are allocated. Both I and Mattias Eriksson Falk will, of course, work to ensure that we from the party can contribute in the negotiations to ensure that these funds are available. Here are two people from the county who can provide their views on the issues surrounding the road stretch beyond the information we have received previously. We are two eyewitnesses who live in the area and perhaps understand the issues better than many others. With that insight, this interpellation is also submitted to highlight just this road stretch. We naturally hope that this will arouse interest so that the road is included in the national transport infrastructure plan moving forward.

Madam Speaker! Another member, Anders W Jonsson from Centerpartiet, is also participating in this interpellation debate. He highlights a problem regarding the fact that the Sverigedemokraterna are involved and contributing to emphasizing the need for a four-lane road on the E4 between Gävle and Söderhamn. I do not understand the conflict between them, as these two road sections are extremely important for two different reasons. In the first instance, road 56 is of great interest in order to reduce future accidents. The E4 is another important lifeline, which is highlighted in the region, where the Sverigedemokraterna are involved and governing.

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking Member Eriksson Falk for the interpellation and the commitment, which is shared by the other members participating in the debate. I also share the commitment regarding measures to increase road safety. In my response, I stated that it is important to continue working to increase road safety in Sweden. That work is by no means finished but will, of course, be a priority in the work with the next national plan.

I have received information that road 56 has been accident-prone for a long time. Already during the 1980s and 1990s, minor improvements were carried out in the form of curve straightening and roadside measures. Road 56, however, has a low standard and is winding and narrow with poor visibility conditions in parts. There are a number of intersections along the stretch, and most properties have direct exits to the road, which also constitute a barrier for unprotected road users.

Road 56 is also an important link for heavy traffic. Approximately 30 percent of the traffic flow is heavy traffic. Generally, the proportion of heavy traffic is around 10 percent on this type of road, which illustrates what the members have been involved in in their remarks. In addition, the road's width and geometry are of low standard, and it has a relatively high number of serious accidents in proportion to the traffic volume.

Madam Speaker! As I explained in my response, I have also received information that Trafikverket has planned traffic safety-enhancing measures in the coming years on road 56. They mention median barriers and also that supplementing the existing supply of cameras for automatic speed monitoring.

Speed is the factor that has the greatest significance for how serious the consequences of a traffic accident are and also whether traffic accidents occur. It is therefore very important, before the measures are in place, to adhere to the speed limits given the road's standard. I naturally want to urge everyone who follows the debate and who is aware of the conditions along this road to do so.

Road 56 will also be paved during 2024-2025.

The measures that the members are requesting fall within the scope of the assessments before the work on the national plan. I understand Member Hedlund, who was suggesting that one would like to have a clearer direction from the government. But the work does not function that way, Madam Speaker, but rather takes place in a very structured and orderly manner where the orientation basis is the first step. After that, the coalition parties will negotiate and agree on the principles for the infrastructure bill. It is now part of the updated Tidö Agreement, and there will be a continued dialogue between our parties.

When it comes to the work on the orientation basis, it will be reported from Trafikverket in the middle of January. After that, it will be sent out for consultation. In that work, the government naturally strives for a good dialogue with municipalities and regions in the process. There will be good opportunities to record priorities and requests in both consultation responses and consultation meetings that will be held regarding Trafikverket's basis.

I refrain from entering into the discussion regarding the regional priorities that also occur in this debate but want to say that it is very important for the government to receive the best possible basis. One accompanying point is that municipalities and regions are welcome to coordinate with each other regarding common priorities. It facilitates for the government to make well-substantiated decisions.

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Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)

Madam Speaker! I have asked Trafikverket, through the Riksdag's investigation service, to calculate measures for the Hedesunda-Valbo section, what could be done and the investment volumes for this.

There is a proposal regarding the current section prepared, investigated and planned. The largest part would mean that it becomes a two-plus-one road with a new stretch. There, the lanes are separated.

Of the fatal accidents during the period 2000-2023, approximately 66 percent were head-on collisions. This demonstrates the importance of separate lanes with wire barriers between them, which we have seen an expansion of on other sections of road 56, including towards Heby and Sala. The proposal for road 56 that is held by Trafikverket is important for road safety and to avoid similar fatal accidents that have recently occurred.

The Swedish Transport Administration estimates the investment that needs to be made to be slightly over 1.46 billion SEK for the plan they have developed.

While waiting for the national plan, there is another investigation where the cost is estimated at 76 million kronor. This involves, among other things, widening of the road, median strips, and additional speed cameras, which the Minister also mentioned in his answer. If I understand the Minister correctly, this investment is already included in Trafikverket's plan. I would like to know what the Minister means, because in the investigation from the Riksdag's investigation service that I requested, it was included as an example that Trafikverket is working on this. I would like to receive a clarification as to whether it is included and is financed.

I understand if the Minister has not had time to study in detail the larger proposal for improvements from Trafikverket. That proposal is, after all, very extensive. Now, I have at least notified that it exists, which I am sure the Minister has known about previously. I hope that the Minister considers – and I really mean considers – whether this stretch, which is identified as particularly important for communications in Sweden, should be included in the upcoming plan for the national transport infrastructure. I hope that it will be, and I know that the people who live along this stretch, between Valbo and Hedesunda, hope so. I believe that the trucking industry and many business owners also hope so, given the extensive amount of freight transport that takes place on this stretch.

I will continue to work to ensure that this investment in road 56 is included and to ensure that we truly get improvements along the road. I know that Member Hedlund will also continue to work for this. I naturally hope that the Minister and the Government will heed what I present today in the rostrum, and I hope that the measures proposed to increase road safety and save lives along our roads can become a reality as soon as it is possible.

It is pleasing to hear about the paving of the road that the Minister also mentioned in his previous speech. For road safety, it is naturally important that we get a certain improvement of the road surface that people travel on. As I mentioned in my first speech, it is, after all, the case that infrastructure evokes feelings. It naturally evokes even more feelings – and sorrow – when fatal accidents or serious accidents occur where people are injured. It is important that we include this important infrastructure investment between Valbo and Hedesunda. As I mentioned, I and member Hedlund will continue to work to ensure that is the case.

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Anders W Jonsson (C)

Madam Speaker! The debate is becoming more and more strange. This type of decision is made through an interaction between the region and the state, represented by the government with Trafikverket. Here we have two Sverigedemokratiska members who, in the region, have struck out national road 56, which is no longer prioritized, only to then in the chamber demand that the Minister of Justice solve the problem.

When it comes to this type of large infrastructure project, it is always a question of priorities. Here in the region, they have prioritized the expansion of the motorway between Söderhamn and Gävle. These are therefore not two comparable projects; the region has stated that they are prepared to invest their own money in a motorway to avoid traffic jams instead of prioritizing national road 56, where there are, in large part, fatalities every year. It is clear that it will be extremely strange for people at home in Hedesunda and Gävle who are listening to this discussion – two power holders in the region say one thing there but then drive a completely different thing in the chamber of the Riksdag.

But now it is up to proof! The decision that the government will make will, just as the Minister has said, be part of the Tidö Agreement 2.0. Every single investment in infrastructure in the country will therefore be approved by the Sverigedemokraterna, Madam Speaker. Then we will see if it is anything other than empty barrels rattling. If National Road 56 is included in the decision that the government will make, I will be the first to be grateful. But if it is the case that the Sverigedemokraterna in those negotiations have not ensured that it is included, then it is nothing other than standing in the chamber and speaking with a divided tongue.

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Roger Hedlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! I thank all the participating members and the Minister very much for the contributions to the debate. I think they have contributed to a discussion that has made us focus on road 56 and the needs that exist there. For me and the Sverigedemokraterna, this is an important and prioritized issue that we will, of course, highlight when we discuss the future investments in this area.

From the Sweden Democrats' side, it is clear that it is the roads of national interest that are important when we make these investments. Both Mattias Eriksson Falk and I know as members from Gävleborg that this issue is very important. Therefore, we also highlight it. We do not only do this within our own party, but we also choose to highlight it in this interpellation debate.

Then the Minister can, of course, do as I request and give a clear indication in this matter. But it is clear that there are limitations, Madam Speaker, regarding the possibilities the Minister has to give indications on where we are heading in the issue. I believe, however, that we can still agree that the national interest roads and the roads that are particularly vulnerable to accidents are of interest for the government to look more closely at together with the Sverigedemokraterna when we are to prepare the national transport infrastructure plan.

Additionally, I would like to point out again, Madam Speaker, that a member who was previously part of this debate, Anders W Jonsson from Centerpartiet, has missed that one can actually have several balls in the air when discussing infrastructure. For the region, it is obviously very important to get a four-lane road between Söderhamn and Gävle in order to ensure that this lifeblood, which is important for the whole country, functions in a good way. These things do not conflict with each other, and we agree that both roads are important.

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I shall answer a direct question from Eriksson Falk regarding Trafikverket's traffic safety-enhancing measures, which I accounted for in a previous intervention. This is something that falls under what is called trimming measures and is something that Trafikverket has discretion over. The answer to Eriksson Falk's question is therefore that it concerns trimming measures, and the information that I have given to the Chamber I have received from Trafikverket.

Anders W Jonsson appears to have left the chamber, Madam Speaker. I still want to inform - he may be able to take note of it afterwards - that it is the principles for the infrastructure bill that we will negotiate and agree upon as part of the updated Tidö Agreement - Tidöavtalet 1.1.

In other respects, I refer to my previous posts, where I have accounted for the government's continued work with the national plan.

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Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)

Madam Speaker! I want to begin by thanking the Minister for a good debate on the importance of continued focus on infrastructure - naturally throughout the country but especially on stretches that are severely affected by deaths and other more serious accidents. There are specific issues that have been dragged out. "Dragged out" is no accusation against the current government but naturally above all against the previous government, which did not address the issue.

I will continue to monitor the work on road 56 and naturally work to ensure that the section Hedesunda-Valbo - and obviously preferably more of road 56 - is included in the upcoming plan for the national transport infrastructure. It is important for my county and my municipality. It is important for the people who live there, and it is important for society as a whole in that it is a stretch that in its entirety is identified as important for communications in Sweden.

Now, Member Anders W Jonsson from Centerpartiet, who participated in the debate earlier, has left the chamber, which is unfortunate. I nevertheless want to point out that Centerpartiet held power in Region Gävleborg for the last 13 years before the change of power and has governed Gävle municipality for the last eight years. They also had a decisive influence over government policy for four years during the previous mandate period. But they have not landed on this issue. They have not driven it to completion.

The Sweden Democrats will continue to work to ensure that road 56 is included in the national transport infrastructure plan, which will be adopted before 2026. The issue is important, and I and Member Hedlund will continue to work to make it safer for the people living along road 56 between Hedesunda and Gävle.

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I also want to thank you for the debate.

The ongoing national plan is, of course, something that the previous government decided on, which the member is correct about. Furthermore, it received quite strong criticism yesterday in the National Audit Office's review, and the government is now analyzing the criticism that the previous government received.

The criticism was that the investments and priorities made do not contribute to achieving the Riksdag's transport policy goals, where road safety is, of course, a very important part. The Swedish National Audit Office stated that the result is poorer transport opportunities and more deaths in traffic than would otherwise have been possible.

So, there is very strong criticism of the previous government's work with the national plan, and we will, of course, take that into account when we work with the new national plan. The work is already underway with the orientation basis that will be delivered to the government in the middle of next month – I was about to say next year, Madam Speaker, but it is the same thing now as we approach New Year's. Then we will, of course, continue to work with this.

We look forward to a good dialogue with the regions, which will have the opportunity to hold referral meetings and provide their referral responses, as well as a dialogue with the Sweden Democrats, who will indeed be involved in negotiating the principles that shall apply to the transport infrastructure. That is what I look forward to.

I thank you for the debate and for the commitment to road safety on the roads in Sweden.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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