Response to interpellation 2025/26:473 on parking and staging areas for heavy vehicles
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the government has taken measures to increase the number of rest areas and that Trafikverket has a long-term mandate until 2029 to address the shortage of safe parking spaces 1. KD emphasizes that the national plan for transport infrastructure increases funds for trimming measures by 26 percent 1. KD believes that the dialogue with actors has improved and that rest areas were renovated during 2025 2. KD argues that a higher amount limit and increased police presence enable more frequent control activities 2. KD emphasizes that Trafikverket directs priorities to the worst capacity shortages 3. KD plans to produce a PBL guidance during 2026 3 and wants to reduce bureaucracy 4. S argues that the shortage of parking spaces creates stress and uncertainty for drivers 5. S believes that the state sets requirements for regulatory compliance without providing the necessary conditions, which is unsafe for traffic 5. S highlights that female drivers experience existing rest areas as unsafe and that there is a shortage of hygiene facilities 5. S argues that speed is required in the work 5. S believes that strengthened control is needed to draw attention to unsafe locations 6. S believes that cooperation is needed and that professional drivers' views on the design of rest areas should be included 7. S emphasizes the importance of equality in the profession and that the state must provide conditions so that drivers can follow the rules 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Eva Lindh has asked me what concrete measures I intend to take here and now to increase access to safe and accessible parking and rest areas for heavy traffic, whether I intend to ensure that municipalities and the state take a joint responsibility in the planning of parking areas, especially in and near larger cities, and whether I intend to take measures to improve safety at existing rest areas, especially with regard to the perceived insecurity of female road users and drivers.
Eva Lindh has further asked me how I view the need for increased control activities linked to driving and rest times in combination with improved infrastructure to enable regulatory compliance, and whether I am prepared to advance or supplement the ongoing government assignment to meet the urgent needs that the industry highlights.
The possibility for professional drivers to be able to rest and take breaks safely is obviously important for the working environment and traffic safety. The Government has taken measures to increase the number of rest areas. Trafikverket has a long-term government mandate to conduct a review due to the lack of safe parking spaces for professional traffic along major roads. The mandate continues until 2029, and Trafikverket reports annually on which measures the authority has implemented.
At the end of April this year, the government decided on the national transport infrastructure plan for the period 2026–2037. In the new national plan, 62.5 billion kronor are allocated to trimming and environmental measures. This is an increase of 26 percent compared to the previous planning period.
Examples of streamlining measures in the road system are new or expanded rest areas. In the national plan, the government particularly emphasizes the importance of Trafikverket ensuring access to safe rest areas for truck drivers and that Trafikverket continues its work regarding safe parking areas for vehicles.
The Government also points out that it is important that Trafikverket identifies where rest areas operated under other management have disappeared when a municipality or private owner has closed a rest area. Around such locations, it may be extra important that Trafikverket establishes new rest areas.
At the same time as the government takes measures to increase the availability of rest areas along the state road network, it is pleasing that private actors have recently opened facilities along the road network that offer higher security and service than what falls within the state's commitment. This is very important to meet the demand that exists among drivers, transport companies, and transport buyers.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
The reason I submitted this interpellation was that I had been contacted by very many drivers who are worried, who feel insecure, and who experience that their work environment and the conditions for the work have become increasingly worse. Therefore, I want to ask these questions.
I naturally thank all those who have reached out. It is good for us politicians that people do so. We need to be made aware of the problems that exist out in society so that we can also do something about them. By that, I do not mean, of course, that the government minister has been completely unaware of this. But I think it is good that people reach out.
We all agree that transport is necessary for society to function – so that we get goods to the store, so that construction sites can be kept running and so that industry receives its deliveries. Our society must be able to keep rolling.
Still, as said, there is a question that has not been discussed particularly much, even though the Minister is aware of it and I have now been alerted to the matter. When I myself am out driving, I have also seen the effects of this. Where are the commercial transport vehicles to go when it is time for a rest break?
For those working in the transport industry, the lack of parking and staging areas is not a marginal problem. It is a daily reality. Drivers are forced to drive around cities and industrial areas in search of a place to stop. They try to piece together driving and rest times while knowing that the options become fewer for every kilometer. The result is stress, uncertainty, and a working environment that is not reasonable.
This is not just about convenience, but also about road safety. EU rules on driving and rest times exist for a reason; tired drivers mean a greater traffic hazard. But what happens when there is no place to stop? Then drivers are forced to continue driving, even though the rest time is due, or park on on- and off-ramps, where it becomes very visible to those of us who do not drive commercial traffic. Sometimes they also have to stop in unsafe and unsuitable places.
Transport has conducted investigations. In those, a large majority of the drivers state that they are forced to break the regulations because there is a lack of parking spaces. The state is therefore demanding compliance with the rules without also providing the conditions to follow the rules. It is, of course, not reasonable, not traffic-safe, and neither is it legally secure.
The problem is also becoming increasingly larger. Road transport is increasing. The trucks are becoming longer and heavier. The capacity has not quite been expanded.
I also raised an equality issue in this. More and more female drivers are coming. Surveys show that many of them experience the rest areas or the parking spaces that exist as very unsafe. And it is not just about where to park, there is also a lack of hygiene facilities and safe environments to be in.
As the Minister answered, there is a mandate that extends until 2029, but the problems exist here and now. Therefore, I want to give the Minister an opportunity to elaborate on the answer to the question: Is there anything that can be done here and now to improve the conditions for professional drivers?
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! If Eva Lindh and I were in disagreement in the previous interpellation debate, we are, however, in complete agreement in this debate. I would like to thank Eva Lindh for raising an important issue.
The issue has been known for quite a long time. Many have highlighted it. I have also personally met both drivers and riders who have raised the problem. It was therefore good of the previous government to give this assignment to Trafikverket. It is a long-term assignment.
When it comes to the planning of rest areas, it is important to have a mandate that runs over time. It is not synonymous with the result of the work being delivered at the end. On the contrary, it needs to occur ongoingly and continuously. It has intensified during recent years. I have followed this closely. As I mentioned, Trafikverket submits an annual report on the mandate.
Additional information is that the dialogue with Trafikverket and the actors, not least Sveriges Åkeriföretag, has become better and more frequent regarding precisely this issue. Since rest areas that have been operated under different management have been removed in some places, it is particularly important to see if Trafikverket can establish new rest areas there. It is a concrete answer to the question of what can be done here and now.
During 2025, for example, two rest areas were upgraded and 14 truck parking spaces were added as a result of the ongoing work and the dialogue I have had with Trafikverket regarding more and safer rest areas.
I do not think that the mandate should be shortened to speed up the whole process, but rather one needs to increase the intensity but also have long-term perspective. In several places, it is about investments where new infrastructure is to be built.
The significant reinforcement of the trimming measures makes this possible.
But as I also mentioned, the government in the national plan has specifically pointed out this as an area that we see as urgent within this framework. It is Trafikverket that has the funds at its disposal, and it can decide on them itself. It does not need to go to the government, which saves quite a lot of time and administration in the process. We have also raised the amount limit. Previously it was at 100 million kronor; now it is at 150 million kronor. For the measures that Trafikverket itself has at its disposal based on the analysis they perform and the government mandates they have, this will be a significant improvement in order to be able to increase the progress in the work of getting more safe rest and parking areas.
The committee member has also asked other questions in their interpellation, and I would particularly like to highlight the control activities. They are central to ensuring that we have sound competition and regulatory compliance. Here, today's police density, which is the highest ever in Sweden, is an enabler to also achieve better, more, and more frequent control activities.
During the current parliamentary term, and also previously during my years in the Riksdag, I have visited police officers and vehicle inspectors who work in this activity, and it is very important because it concerns both road safety, the working environment, and healthy competition conditions. It also concerns the work against organized crime because much of what is to be sold in the criminal economy has at some point also passed through the transport system. The controls of driving and rest times, the quality of the fleet, and regulatory compliance are therefore also a priority issue.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I must admit that these are issues that I have not devoted much time to previously, neither as a municipal councilor nor as a Member of Parliament. But as people started reaching out and I gained more knowledge, I have become more aware of the problems, for example when I drive a car. After having looked into the matter, I know that Sweden has approximately 270 rest areas along the major national roads. It sounds like a lot if you only hear the figure, but considering how large Sweden is, it is very little. This is therefore not just an experience or a feeling among the professional drivers, but it is a fact.
Just as the Minister said, some private initiatives have been taken, but they have not been long-term. In the short term, it may have become better, but when these rest areas have disappeared, more gaps have arisen in the network that is supposed to exist for professional drivers.
I am passionate about the work environment. Good working conditions are important for those who work, regardless of profession, and this is completely unreasonable.
In many policy areas, both speed and long-term perspective are needed. So as well here, and that is why I asked the question. We gave a mandate, and it was long-term and good. But when the drivers hear 2029, I understand that they wonder if nothing is being done here and now. Therefore, it is good that they hear that the work has begun. But is there anything more we can do together to speed up the work?
When it comes to control, some might think that if there is no possibility to follow the rules, why should it be controlled? For that very reason, I believe that the control needs to be strengthened. It helps the professional drivers that we pay attention to how things look and that we strengthen the control, because we know that these are unsafe places. I have also heard examples of what has happened at certain rest areas, so there are reasons to feel unsafe. Not being able to go to the toilet or manage one's hygiene is also a problem. There are concrete examples, but a strengthened control provides more grounds for why this really needs to be done and engages more people in these issues.
I hope that this debate contributes to highlighting the situation for many professional drivers and also demonstrates our commitment to improving the conditions for them.
But what does the Minister think, can we help each other to speed up the work?
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! As a background to the assignment that has been ongoing since 2018, Trafikverket has identified where the worst capacity shortages are. It is on the E6 between Malmö and the Norwegian border and on the E4 between Malmö and Stockholm, both two major arteries. It is also around the major cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö as well as at Jönköping, which is a hub for logistics and also for those coming from the south as far as they can drive before it is time to take a break. Based on this analysis, Trafikverket has for several years directed the priorities to where the problems are worst.
As I mentioned in my answer, the Swedish Transport Administration has also noted that where rest areas previously operated under different management have been decommissioned, it may be advisable to see what can be done in the short term.
Mr. Speaker! What is happening during 2026? I mentioned the sharp increase in trimming measures, so now Trafikverket is identifying more rest areas that are suitable for trimming measures. Perhaps the capacity at existing rest areas can be increased and they can be made better. At the same time, work is ongoing with the selected rest areas, and the investigation work that has been ongoing for a while will hopefully continue at an even higher pace. At at least one rest area, safety and capacity-enhancing measures will be carried out during the year, and design work is already underway for an additional four rest areas. The measures aim to increase the safety and capacity for trucks at the rest areas.
There is also an ongoing pilot project with capacity detection, system testing, and installation of digital road signs aimed at utilizing capacity better. If information and guidance are provided on where capacity exists, it can counteract the unauthorized parking that exists and which Eva Lindh also mentioned. It is a well-known problem, which can also be seen when traveling along the roads.
The strategic investigation work that has been ongoing will, during 2026, transition into a measures selection study so that one moves from analysis to developing proposals for measures regarding rest areas in Stockholm County. Even in Stockholm County, the police have noted that it is necessary to take Förbifart Stockholm, which will be in place in a few years, into consideration, as the flows will change then. This will also need to be incorporated into this work.
Eva Lindh asks what we can do together, and one of the interpellations concerns the municipalities. Work is ongoing to develop a guidance to strengthen cooperation. Through an external guidance and dialogue, more parking spaces can be secured, regardless of ownership. Here, Trafikverket plans to launch a PBL guidance during 2026 so that each municipality does not have to find out what applies on its own. This is a concrete answer to the question of what is planned and launched during 2026 as part of an ongoing assignment.
Mr. Speaker! That was all I had time to say in four minutes about the ongoing work during 2026 and what the state and the municipality can do together.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answers!
I want to hook on what the Minister said last, that cooperation was needed. Also, those who are professional drivers – both the trucking industry and the unions – have many views and suggestions that we can take with us. It is not just about there being a rest area. The design, that is, how they look, is also crucial.
I will not prolong the debate, because I think I have received good answers. I hope that we will see some workshop regardless of how it will look in the future. I do, however, want to emphasize a few things.
When it comes to equality and that we have brought in more female professional drivers, we know that it strengthens when there is a mix and that it is good when both women and men work at a workplace. This applies to most workplaces, but it also applies to professional drivers. It was actually a male driver who contacted me and said: Please, do what you can – we want it to continue to become more female professional drivers.
There is a risk here. If nothing happens, it could be that women quit or do not even start in the profession. I think it is important that we take this with us.
When it comes to road safety for all of us, it is not good for anyone if we have tired drivers out on our roads. We set high requirements for professional drivers. We shall do that, but then the drivers must also have the right to demand from us – from the state – that we provide the conditions that enable them to follow the rules.
Many thanks for the answers! Thank you for the debate and for the fact that we can help each other lift this issue and hopefully make something better of it.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Yes, we will definitely do that. It is about the extended range for trimming measures and also about the increased amount. It is possible to carry out substantial measures without a lot of bureaucracy. There will be less bureaucracy, at least, when it becomes a named object in the national plan. It may sound technical, but it is what lays the foundation for being able to increase the pace even further.
I have accounted here for what is planned already during the current year, and the work is progressing. This is urgent. I agree with Eva Lindh regarding the arguments she puts forward. This is urgent. It is a prioritized issue across party lines and for the government. It is a positive message to all who are following this debate – perhaps engaged skiers or drivers – and who are concerned by the situation.
This is not a question only for them, but as Eva Lindh illustrated, it is a question for all of us. Therefore, I am pleased that Eva Lindh is raising the issue and engaging with it after being made aware of the problem, even though it is an issue that has not engaged the member previously. It is positive, and I thank her for that.
We continue the work at a high pace.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.