Inntal: Road closures for lorries over 7.5 t
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.
On days with Austrian block clearance, it is often impossible to cross the border with Germany. Many lorry drivers therefore use alternative routes, putting a strain on the low-ranking road network of many southern German communities. Bavaria and the districts now want to counteract this with driving bans. The new regulation will come into force as early as today, overlapping with the current Austrian ban on HGVs. It is to take effect automatically thereafter on all days on which a restriction on the entry of lorries into Tyrol is planned.
On the days in question - according to the Ministry of Transport on Friday - many subordinate roads in the districts of Miesbach, Rosenheim, Traunstein and Berchtesgadener Land will be closed. These are the localities most affected by the problematic shift of traffic to smaller rural roads. Truck drivers are informed of the route closures by warning signs on the motorways. The driving bans already apply at some motorway junctions, such as the A8 exits from Übersee to Traunstein/Siegsdorf.
However, some exceptions are also planned. The transit bans will not apply to delivery traffic, which serves to supply the areas of Berchtesgadener Land and Traunstein, for example. All other heavy goods vehicles, however, will be subject to the bans and will have to expect controls by the Bavarian police. If truck drivers ignore the driving instructions, they will be warned and immediately escorted back onto the motorway. According to police headquarters, this could also result in fines of 100 euros.
According to Bavarian Prime Minister Söder, the temporary truck driving bans are "a kind of self-defence to protect the citizens of the Inn Valley". The relief of the road network to be achieved in this way should effectively contribute to the prevention of accidents and to the increase of road safety. By means of the closures, the Free State also wants to protect the residents from noise and exhaust fumes, as well as the general air quality of the region.
However, Bavaria's countermeasure is "only an interim solution". For the main goal remains that there will be no truck block clearances from Austria in the future. Instead, new agreements are to be reached. A traffic compromise that would allow lorry transit between Austria and Germany - without having to affect one side more than the other.
Until such an agreement is found, drivers of lorries over 7.5 tonnes must expect numerous road closures. Indirectly affected are also all drivers who are now travelling in Tyrol or Bavaria. They, too, will have to contend with long traffic jams and extended driving times. Furthermore, other active traffic restrictions should not be forgotten, such as the regulations of the environmental zones on both the German and Austrian side. As always, all information is available on our Green Zones app.