07/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - European car transport slows down into Russia. On Monday 7 May, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) expressed its concerns at Russian limits on lorry transport. The association, which is concerned by strict restrictions on the number of axles and their authorised weight at certain periods of the year (in spring whilst the snow is thawing, in order to protect the roads), has written to the highest Russian authorities. In the letter, it laments the harmful consequences on the road transport sector of these limits, brought in for certain regions for three months starting on 1 April. Even an empty car transporter would exceed these limits, and containers will be piling up in Russian ports. However, this will benefit Finnish ports, via which the traffic in car stockpiles will be redirected. The president of the European vehicle transporters, Costantino Baldissara, is concerned that unless they are revised, these limits will “call into question the viability of investing in [Russia] if the infrastructure is unable to support industry”. (MD/transl.fl)