Thousands of Austrians took to the streets at the Brenner Pass on Saturday to protest against the heavy traffic on the mountain pass that connects the north and south of the continent. Protesters in the village of Matrei am Brenner carried signs with messages such as “Enough is enough” and “Peace in the valley.”
Source: Belga
LOOK. Brenner Pass closed due to protest
The demonstrators are demanding measures against heavy through traffic. The impact on the mountain communities in the Alps is great, it sounds.
Due to the protest, Austrian and Italian authorities have closed the route in both directions to freight traffic until Saturday evening. Passage over the pass was also limited to essential local traffic.
Train traffic via the Brenner Pass was also interrupted on Saturday due to a fire on the railway line near the Italian city of Verona. According to the Italian rail network operator, the damage was caused by unknown individuals.
According to the Austrian road operator Asfinag, 11 million cars and 2.5 million trucks used the toll pass last year. It is the busiest connection between the north and south in the Alps.