The sectoral driving ban has been temporarily relaxed. However, the decision of the Tyrolean government is not enough to escape harsh criticism.
For a long time now, Tyrol has been cracking down and imposing truck driving bans to curb the heavy traffic in the region. What was first presented as a temporary transitional measure developed into a permanent dispute between the Austrian province and neighbouring Bavaria and Italy. When the state announced the closure of the so-called "Rolling Road" (Rola) for the last two weeks in August, the government had tried to find a compromise with the Bavarian transport companies, which were severely restricted by it. Temporarily, in fact, the ban on truck driving was relaxed by extending the core zone for source and delivery traffic in order to create alternatives to the closed route between Wörgl and Brenner.
However, the temporary relaxation on the part of the Tyrol seems insufficient. The Bavarian industry associations LBS and LBT, in particular, continue to sharply criticise the truck blockade. "This should not hide the fact that the initial situation is still anything but appropriate for the situation," complain Managing Director Sabine Lehmann (LBS) and Executive Board Member Sebastian Lechner (LBT). Allowing traffic on some routes at short notice is not a solution, explain Lehmann and Lechner. Instead, they say, they are the cause of logistical problems for the many companies that have to make considerable timetable changes at the last minute in order to maintain the transport chains.
In the European Parliament, the Tyrolean truck driving bans are also the subject of criticism. The transport measure has not yet been put under the Commission's microscope. However, there is an urgent need for action at the European level, according to many MEPs. Among them is Markus Ferber, transport policy spokesman for the CSU European group, who has repeatedly called for an immediate end to the traffic dosage measures in the Tyrolean province. "If Tyrol continues to have a free hand, the traffic chaos at the Brenner will continue to paralyse heavy goods traffic for the coming year," said Ferber, warning about the consequences of the dosing calendar already announced by Tyrol for the first half of 2023.
Already on 16 August, the regional government had announced the plans for the coming year. On at least 24 days between January and June, trucks are to be cleared at the German-Austrian border only in blocks. If no European solution can be found - which will keep the Austrian traffic situation under control without continuing to affect the Brenner and other core roads essential for freight traffic - it will be difficult to guarantee continuous truck transit. Tensions between Tyrol and Bavaria can then only increase - with considerable consequences.