In summer travel traffic

183,500 “traffic jam refugees” turned back in Tyrol

Huge avalanches of traffic rolled through Tyrol again this summer. Pictured: the Europabrücke bridge on the Brenner highway.(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Once again, Tyrol has relied on departure bans for vacation traffic. This measure, which has been in place for several years, is intended to prevent through travelers from leaving the freeway or main traffic routes in the event of a traffic jam and clogging up the lower-ranking road network. The results for this summer are now available.

From the beginning of May until the end of the summer vacations, the driving bans applied in the districts of Kufstein, Imst, Reutte and in the greater Innsbruck area on selected roads that are particularly heavily used as alternative routes.

Destination, source and local traffic were exempt. Tyrol argues that this measure is necessary to maintain security of supply in local areas.

Particular strain in the district of Reutte
This summer's balance sheet: a total of 183,500 vehicles were turned back onto the main traffic routes, the state reported on Friday. Once again, the number was particularly high in the Außerfern region.

Rejected vehicles:

• Reutte district: around 108,000

• Kufstein district: around 53,000

• Greater Innsbruck area: around 17,500

• Imst district: Around 5,000

• Total: around 183,500

"This summer's figures once again underline the urgent need for these driving bans in Tyrol. In heavily congested municipalities, it is necessary to ban vehicles traveling through on the main traffic routes," LH Anton Mattle (ÖVP) was quoted as saying in a press release.

We urgently need a change in the law so that navigation system operators are obliged to incorporate such temporary driving bans into their software in future.

Verkehrslandesrat René Zumtobel (SPÖ)

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

Tyrol continues to adhere to bans
The driving bans are undoubtedly "still necessary" in order to "protect the population along the main traffic routes and maintain security of supply", added Transport Minister René Zumtobel (SPÖ), who made an appeal to federal politicians: "We urgently need a change in the law so that sat nav operators are obliged to incorporate such temporary driving bans into their software in future."

The majority of the rejections occurred during the peak travel period from July onwards - between the beginning of May and the end of June, a total of 38,500 vehicles were rejected. There will also be driving bans on the lower-ranking road network again in the coming winter season.