Madam President Chivite, you used fine words in your hearing with the mayors of Baztan-Bidasoa on 30 March in the Bertiz Palace, and the press release you presented to the media was even more ‘round’.

He stressed that “infrastructure is essential for the spatial planning and social cohesion of the region, so priority is given to and is being given to the major economic efforts to convert the N-121A to 2+1 and to unfold the existing tunnels”.

“We do not want a corridor of trans-European lorries, because this greatly affects people’s coexistence, contributes little to local social and economic development and harms the environment.”

But for the mayors and citizens of the area, not only for the guests of Baztan-Bidasoa, but for the 29 municipalities and citizens of the towns situated between Pamplona and Behobia, that is, the role of infrastructures in the planning of the territory is different. In other words, do not overflow the roads of communication (road and tunnels), that is to say, be more calm, cleaner and safer or stay well, and because we want and deserve to be the ones that give rise to the local development of our environment. We do not want a corridor of trans-European lorries that do not stay “or to urinate”, because this conditions very much the coexistence in the surrounding villages, contributes little to local social and economic development and, on the contrary, greatly damages the environment in the surroundings.

That is why we ask you to divert the daily traffic from 3,000 ‘international’ heavy vehicles to the A-15 which is definitely parallel (and not just on weekends as your note indicates). This measure would undoubtedly help to reduce very effectively the risk level of the Belate tunnels. The Oronoz fire brigade is also calling for urgent measures to be taken to increase tunnel safety, now, in the short term, without waiting until 2025.

As for the request for diversion of lorries, you said: “The legal services of the Government of Navarra tell us that it is impossible. We are talking about the national road.”

“Will there be no more lack of will and effort on the part of the Government of Navarra?”

Do you believe or your legal services that N 232 (main road between Zaragoza and Logroño), N II and N 340 (road from France to the Mediterranean) or N 240 (road from the Ebro to Tarragona) are regional roads? It has been years since the governments of La Rioja and Catalonia committed themselves to safety on these ‘national’ roads and banned lorries from travelling on them. So is there not going to be any more lack of will and effort on the part of the Government of Navarre? Council Member Ciriza, who was at her side at that meeting, was unable to specify or argue that legal impossibility, was unable to give an answer.

Mr McMahon himself Ciriza, on his way to Bertiz, told them that he did not find it a road with a lot of traffic, that he did not find that there were so many trucks. Do you think there are few withholdings that occur more and more frequently? On this occasion, there were two days after the visit, during two consecutive days, queues up to 14 kilometres, most of which were trucks heading to the border.

Mrs Chivite, you emphasise the sustainability of your projects. If the Government of Navarra is not now able to maintain the road and tunnels of the N-121A in adequate and safe conditions, do you think that it will be able to do so with the cost of converting the N-121A into road 2+1 and constructing two tunnels? What makes the maintenance and safety of this infrastructure more expensive and more difficult is the movement of heavy goods vehicles.

It was not the mayors and citizens of the region that we proposed that this road should become a 2+1 or an expensive splitting of the tunnels. Furthermore, the splitting of tunnels is not entirely necessary to meet the safety standards required by European legislation.

The Government has taken the decisions on its own, without taking into account the word of the citizenship of the region. For us, the ‘free’ measure to be taken to improve the safety and functionality of this road is to divert trucks from the A-15. We are not asking for anything else.

Seeing that in other communities it has been possible to take this measure, next Friday, April 16, in a roadblock, this time of five minutes, you will be able to hear our request again.

(Mikel Uriarte is former mayor of Olabe and firefighter of Oronoz-Mugairi)