In Austria, thousands of people blocked a major highway through the Alps
In Austria, thousands of protesters blocked the Brenner motorway, one of the main transport corridors between Italy and Central Europe. The protest was sparked by dissatisfaction with the large number of trucks and tourist vehicles on the route.
This was reported by Reuters.
The protest, which began on Saturday, was led by Karl Mühlsteiger, mayor of the municipality of Gries am Brenner, located near the pass itself.
The problem of excessive traffic and pollution in the valley leading to the Brenner Pass has been a source of tension between Austria and Germany for decades. Local authorities in the Austrian state of Tyrol have implemented various measures to curb the flow of traffic.
“We want to send a message to Brussels, to the federal government in Vienna, that things absolutely cannot and must not continue this way, given the ever-increasing traffic here. This problem has existed for a very, very long time. It has been dragging on for years,” Mühlsteiger said.
The several-hour blockade of the highway did not cause the chaos that many feared, as drivers largely heeded the authorities’ warnings about the protest.
Instead, trains traveling the same route were packed.
The provincial road running alongside the highway was also closed to everyone except local residents and transport.
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France has joined the agreement on a special tribunal regarding Russian aggression
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