A2 paralyzed for hours: question to the Council of State (cross-border guide)
Six League grand councillors question the Government after Saturday night from a nightmare on the A2 in Mezzovico with queues up to 13 kilometers.
Context
In a nutshell
- Question to the Council of State submitted by six Grand Councillors of the Ticino League
- Serious road accident that occurred on Saturday evening at the height of Mezzovico on the A2
- Circulation blocked in the north direction with columns up to 13 kilometres between Bissone and the Dosso di Taverne
- Full reopening announced more than five hours after the accident, set no earlier than 11pm
Key facts
- What : Parliamentary question on traffic management and highway restoration times
- When: Following a serious accident that occurred on Saturday night
- Where: On the A2 motorway at Mezzovico
- Who: Grand Councillors Stefano Quadri, Boris Bignasca, Omar Balli, Raffaella Zucchetti, Andrea Sanvido and Mauro Minotti
- Amount: Columns up to 13 kilometres in length registered between Bissone and Dosso di Taverne
After the chaos that broke out on the A2 following a serious accident that occurred at the height of Mezzovico, the formal question to the Council of State is triggered. The Ticino Government was asked for clarification by the Grand Councillors of the Ticino League, Stefano Quadri, the first signatory, supported by Boris Bignasca, Omar Balli, Raffaella Zucchetti, Andrea Sanvido and Mauro Minotti. The central question posed by MEPs sums up the general discontent: does it really take hours and hours to reopen a motorway? The critical event generated a road emergency situation that took thousands of motorists by surprise in
Operational details
The consequences on mobility and vehicle blocking
The road consequences recorded following the road accident were defined as very serious by the MEPs who signed the question. Following the impact, road traffic in the north direction was first completely blocked and then only partially restored, while the complete reopening of the motorway axis was announced no earlier than 11.00 pm, or more than five hours after the accident occurred. This accumulated delay in the evacuation and restoration operations has generated massive colonnades that have reached record peaks of up to 13 kilometers in extension, progressively extending along the stretch between Bissone and the Dosso di Taverne. Numerous motorists, including commuters, tourists, families with young children, and the elderly, were literally trapped inside their cars on the highway axis for between three and four hours. This situation of prolonged blockage took place during a day characterized by particularly difficult weather conditions, marked by high temperatures and an influx of particularly intense traffic typical of periods of great mobility. Many citizens thus found themselves unable to leave the motorway, in some cases being deprived of even basic necessities such as drinking water.
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Key points
Official requests and questions posed to the Government
The parliamentary group of the Ticinese League has structured a series of specific questions addressed directly to the Council of State to shed full light on the decision-making chain and operating times of emergency management. Among the main points raised are the request to know the exact temporal chronology of the event, starting from the moment of the initial alarm until the total reopening of the motorway headquarters, specifying precisely the time of completion of the health rescue activities, the surveys carried out by the cantonal police, the recovery of the damaged vehicles and the subsequent technical cleaning and restoration of the roadway. It is also formally requested for what technical or logistical reasons it was deemed essential to maintain the closure or the very strong restrictions on transit in the north direction for a period of more than five hours. A further central question concerns the concrete possibility of reopening at least one lane of travel once the health emergencies have ended, so as to simultaneously guarantee the continuation of the surveys and the removal of blocked vehicles. MEPs also ask to identify precisely which authorities and public or private bodies have participated collectively in the decision to extend the closure and to coordinate the subsequent reopening
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Source: tio.ch
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who submitted the question to the State Council on the A2 motorway?
- The question was presented by six senior councillors of the Ticino League: Stefano Quadri as the first signatory, Boris Bignasca, Omar Balli, Raffaella Zucchetti, Andrea Sanvido and Mauro Minotti.
- What were the consequences of traffic on the A2 after the accident?
- The accident at Mezzovico caused seven injuries, one of which was life-threatening, and the formation of queues up to 13 kilometres between Bissone and Dosso di Taverne, with motorists stranded for three or four hours.
- By what time was the full reopening of the A2 announced?
- The complete reopening of road traffic in the north direction was announced no earlier than 11:00 pm, more than five hours after the accident occurred on Saturday night.