There seems to be no solution in sight to the issue of traffic management on the Brenner Pass. Above all, the volume of lorry traffic is unmanageable for Austria and neighbouring countries. Tyrol's FPÖ leader is calling for the closure of the A13 Brenner motorway in case of emergency and thus for complete truck driving bans.
Every year, sectoral and night-time transit bans take effect in Tyrol to keep the high volume of traffic under control - to the benefit of citizens and the environment. Every year Austria is criticised by neighbouring countries for exactly this reason. A "Brenner Coordination Group" will now organise large protest actions.
For the remainder of the winter season, driving bans will apply to alternative traffic on Tyrol's low-ranking road network. This is because the situation on the roads in the Austrian region still cannot be managed without traffic restrictions.
The neighbouring country is abolishing toll benefits for all Euro6 emission class trucks from next year, making traffic on Austrian roads more expensive. A decision that could make life much harder for hauliers and logistics companies.
In Tyrol, a trip south over the Fernpass threatens to become increasingly expensive. The journey to Lake Garda is becoming increasingly expensive.
Due to the German National Day on 3 October, a special ban on lorries will also be imposed in Austria and southern Tyrol.
The sectoral driving ban has been temporarily relaxed. However, the decision of the Tyrolean government is not enough to escape harsh criticism.
For some time now, residents of a railway station in the north of Vienna have been complaining about noisy and smelly diesel locomotives: the trains stand directly in front of a block of flats with their engines running, sometimes for hours, sometimes even for days. Now the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) are reacting.
In Frankfurt, there are fewer but longer trains. In Vienna, passengers are to lend a hand and transport parcels.
Traffic jams, chaos and a lot of annoyance are caused by the Austrian blocking of lorries on the Bavarian side. This is now to come to an end, because Bavaria will now introduce road closures for heavy goods vehicles itself.
