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France Built It. Then They Burned It.
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The system worked perfectly. The satellites tracked the trucks. The software calculated the tolls. The invoices were ready. The gantries were already installed across France. 173 of them. Steel structures over highways, quietly waiting for trucks to pass and pay. The project cost almost €1 billion. It was called the Écotaxe Poids Lourds. The idea was simple. Heavy trucks should pay for using the roads. Especially foreign trucks crossing France. Elegant. Who would say no to such a great idea? It’s like exporting infrastructure… they destroy the roads, let’s tax those trucks… A consortium led by Autostrade per l'Italia built the system through the company Ecomouv'. Technology? Ready. Infrastructure? Installed. PPP contract? Signed. Green medals on the chest of officials? Of course. Bonuses? And parties? In Bahamas… There was only one small problem. Very tiny. Well… around 550.000 km2… France. Truck drivers protested. Farmers joined them. Regional activists added fuel to the fire. Literally. People started burning the gantries. One after another. The government panicked. And in 2014 they cancelled the tax before it even started. Result? France paid almost €1 billion in compensation to terminate the concession. A Project where: • The private sector delivered. • The technology worked. • The infrastructure was built. And still… The project died. Because in Infrastructure and, in particular, PPPs, there is one risk that is always underestimated. Politics. Engineers can solve engineering problems. Banks can solve financing problems. But nobody can fix a project once the public decides to burn it. If you work in infrastructure and PPPs, and in great landmark projects… remember this: Your financial model does not vote. Citizens do… among other things. Common sense that would have prevented some fires… below. ​The 100 Q&A You Must Know about PPPs​ PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day. PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below. |
Vicente Valencia
I talk about Personal Growth, Management, Infrastructure and More | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
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