In the middle
During the holiday season, nothing works in Mittenwald: the traffic jams on the surrounding highways move into the town center. The mayor is calling for a ban on traffic – similar to neighboring Tyrol.
Car after car, noise and exhaust fumes. Residents and drivers are annoyed. An avalanche of metal is building up through Mittenwald in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. This is the rule during peak travel times.
It wasn’t until the carnival holidays that traffic collapsed. Nothing worked for hours, remembers Willibald Panzer from Mittenwald. Because everything was on the bypass, navigation devices guide traffic through the town. But the streets in Mittenwald are narrow and winding, with many one-way streets and dead ends. Nothing progressed quickly, says resident Maja Englerth.
Residents and firefighters regulated traffic
Where the traffic counting station normally measures 6,000 vehicles a day, there were suddenly almost four times as many at around 23,000 vehicles. In desperation, the drivers themselves controlled the traffic. There was a state of emergency in the town for hours.
Mayor Enrico Corongiu saw imminent danger and called in the fire department to regulate traffic. German road traffic law only allows road closures in such exceptional situations. However, it would already be too late, says Mayor Corongiu.
Tyrol closes alternative routes
Tyrol is leading the way and issuing bans. In order to protect residents from through traffic, the authorities in the Austrian state have been closing alternative routes along important transit routes during particularly busy times since 2019. For example, it was not allowed to drive on the Inntal motorway, the Fernpass route and in the greater Innsbruck and Kufstein areas. New this year are the Nassereith region and the Seefeld Plateau.
The driving bans in Tyrol are also recorded in the navigation devices. This means that the closed routes are not even displayed as alternative routes in the event of a traffic jam. In addition, the barriers are monitored on site by the police and private security services.
Only those who have the region as their destination are allowed to enter. Anyone who just wants to avoid the traffic jam or turns because of the beautiful landscape will be turned away. Anyone who is caught and cannot conclusively prove that they have a good reason will face a fine.
Strasstraffic regulations in Austria allows bans
The basis for the corresponding individual regulations is the Austrian road traffic regulations, explains the Tyrolean traffic councilor René Zumtobel. The aim is to maintain the safety, ease and fluidity of traffic and to protect the population. The issuance of regulations is always preceded by an intensive analysis of traffic flows and assessment by experts. This means that the blocking can also take place over a long period of time. From May to October, the regulation applies every weekend and during the day on public holidays.
Zumtobel itself speaks of an emergency solution. But Tyrol has no other choice, he says tagesschau.de. “The Germans have built express routes to our borders and we cannot handle this amount of traffic,” says the transport council. I also changed my travel behavior. While people used to go on vacation once or twice, now they often go on vacation three to four times a year. As a result, traffic volumes have increased significantly.
Mittenwald wants departure bans
Citizens in Mittenwald, Bavaria, are also registering more and more traffic. The route via the A95 Munich towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen, past Mittenwald to the Scharnitz border crossing, is a popular alternative route when there is a lot of traffic on the A8 Munich-Salzburg motorway. If you want to go to the Zillertal, you also save on the Austrian motorway toll on this route.
Mittenwald’s mayor Corongiu would like bans similar to those in Austria. In his opinion, holidaymakers should stay on the bypass, even if there is a traffic jam there. There is no place for through traffic in the town.
But it’s not as easy as it is with our neighbors in Austria: German road traffic law does not allow for such bans on driving off main roads. Only in the event of a threat to public order should secondary routes be closed to transit traffic.
The overall concept for the border region is important
The mayor is in discussions with the Bavarian Ministry of Transport and is insisting on an exemption. But it won’t be easy. Upon request from tagesschau.de A spokesman for the Bavarian Ministry of Transport said: “Traffic bans and other restrictions on the flow of traffic can only be a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.”
According to Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter, driving bans would only move the traffic problem to the next town anyway. He advocates an overall solution for the border region. The core of his demand is to keep the main flow of travelers on the motorway. Signs are already asking road users not to leave the motorway – despite traffic jams.
Representatives from the federal government, the Free State of Bavaria and Austria are in contact. But it is clear to everyone: There will be no quick solution. That’s why everyone responsible is appealing to drivers to use common sense not to turn off main routes in traffic jams in order to protect local residents and nature.