Transitforum proposal

Metered traffic lights at all Tyrolean border crossings

Anti-transit campaigner Fritz Gurgiser calls on politicians to exhaust the legal options for protecting health.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer, Hubert Berger)

The Transit Forum now wants to put a stop to the increasingly frequent avalanche of traffic in Tyrol with concrete proposals: For example, metering traffic lights should be installed at all border entry points. 

"With its highway, expressway, federal, provincial and even municipal road network, Tyrol is where we have been warning about for decades. But the simple formula 'Unlimited valleys cannot tolerate unlimited traffic' has been politically overridden for years under the motto 'A little bit will still work'," says Transit Forum Chairman Fritz Gurgiser, analyzing the traffic situation in Tyrol. As reported, another weekend of heavy traffic jams is imminent due to the start of the vacations in two German federal states.

The various types of congestion are here today and cannot be solved tomorrow or the day after tomorrow - but today with the legal requirements.

Fritz Gurgiser, Obmann Transitforum Austria

Gurgiser calls for "the implementation of all the protective standards that have been created nationally and internationally over decades". In 2024, more technical and digital possibilities will be available than ever before, and these must be utilized. The specific proposals:

1. Demand-based metering of traffic at all border entry points seven days a week
2. Significantly reduce traffic lights for hourly entry, as hour-long traffic jams are currently still possible
3. Rigorous monitoring of all exit bans and penalties for non-compliance
4. Consistent expansion and monitoring of all alternative routes - for example via the Hahntennjoch, the Seefeld plateau and the Achental valley. 

High costs due to traffic jams 
"It will be essential to assess the high congestion costs faced by private and business residents so that it finally becomes clear what regional economic damage has been inflicted on this entire region for years. In accordance with the polluter pays principle, a way must then be found to either prevent this damage through suitable measures or to compensate the companies." The companies could not pass on congestion costs to anyone.