Opponents increase pressure

Transit Forum calls for an overall concept for traffic

Weekly traffic jams in Nassereith - an untenable situation for the Transit Forum and the local population.

(Bild: Daum Hubert, Krone KREATIV)

Opponents of the Fernpass package, Transitforum and local residents gathered once again in the traffic-plagued bottleneck of Fernstein to increase the pressure on the regional government to develop other solutions. They demanded the development of an overall concept for traffic.

The ongoing issue of the Fernpass package also attracted many affected parties and media to the Schlosshotel Fernstein on Thursday. Fritz Gurgiser from Transitforum Austria reminded the audience for the umpteenth time that the traffic problem could be tackled with the existing legislation, whose task it is to protect people's health - keyword: Alpine Convention.

The issue of the long-distance pass package continues to inflame emotions.

(Bild: Rauth Hubert/Krone KREATIV)

Instead, "our provincial politics would use political elemental force to blackmail local council decisions based on verbal promises". This refers to the decision by the Biberwier village parliament to sell the land required for the long-distance pass tunnel to the state without having anything in writing. 

Over 655,000 vehicles over the Fernpass in August
A limited living space cannot tolerate unlimited growth. Armin Gadner from the local citizens' initiative (BI) struck the same note with another horrifying figure for those present: "The latest traffic count this August showed over 655,000 vehicles driving over the Fernpass."

This included thousands of trucks over the permitted upper limit of 7.5 tons. Dietmar Leiter from the BI explained to the astonished audience that this truck driving ban was "completely toothless". "There is no vision on the part of the state politicians as to how the population is to be relieved," interjected Gadner, who, like all those involved, is calling for an overall traffic concept with a global approach to tackling the causes.

With regard to the demand to extend the 7.5t limit for HGVs, it must be clearly stated that we have already made this driving ban as strict as possible.

Verkehrslandesrat René Zumtobel

Bild: Birbaumer Christof

For Zumtobel, it is an overall concept
"All the measures from the long-distance pass strategy and the long-distance pass package currently being implemented are based on an overall traffic concept that has been developed by internal and external experts and is constantly being developed further," says Transport Minister René Zumtobel (SPÖ).

Josef Geisler, the second responsible provincial councillor, adds: "Just a few weeks ago, we offered Fritz Gurgiser a meeting in order to coordinate our technical views and exchange arguments and facts. Unfortunately, he unilaterally rejected this offer of talks."

Meanwhile, he paints a rather ominous scenario: "The two bypass tunnels in Garmisch will further increase traffic pressure from the Ehrwald basin in the future."