Take TEN
The proposed TEN (Trans-European Network) running south from Pau in France through
the Pyrenees and passing along the Aspe Valley was mentioned in an Action Briefing
back in 1998. The road is being promoted as adding capacity to road links between
France and Spain. Since the 1998 article, there has been a terrible fire in a
road tunnel through the Alps, near Mont Blanc, raising issues of safety for tunnel
sections of the Aspe Valley Motorway. Correspondent Laure Teulie8res reports
for the NGO "Comite9 Somport Toulouse":
Dear Friends of the Earth,
First, the Aspe valley is still resisting! The tunnel of Somport, between France
and Spain, is built but not yet open thanks to security problems, and so on,
and the big road to go there is nowhere near finished. The railway along the
valley has been abandoned since the seventies, but now all the local politicians
(even those who were so keen to have the road) are asking for it to be opened
again. Even the Prime Minister supports the reopening. In the valley, an increasing
part of the population is against the road project, especially some young people
termed "les Aspaches". One of the leaders, Eric Petetin, has problems with justice:
he risks big punishment for his fight, that's very unfair and we are waiting for
the judgement. The NGOs and activists try to encourage a political decision:
it's time to stop this mad development, in particular to put the traffic on the
trains in place of trucks. But our government doesn't do anything serious and
time is passing, this silly road advancing more each day... I f you can, please
write to your Member of European Parliament to oppose the project. Other information
is available from the internet site:
http://www.globenet.org/ape/somport
or by e-mail: somport@aol.com
Contact details for the West Midland Region's MEPs can be found at
http://www.europarl.org.uk