Protesters listen to speakers at the A13 Brenner Highway in the direction of Italy during a demonstration and the blockade of the Brenner Base Tunnel against transit traffic near the A13 Brenner Highway in the direction of Italy, on May 30, 2026, on the Tyrolean Brenner Highway. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)
Matrei am Brenner, Austria: Thousands of Austrians protesting against noise and pollution blocked a key European highway linking Germany and Italy on Saturday, but widely feared traffic chaos was averted.
Protesters gathered on a stretch of the Brenner Pass road that crosses the Alps into Italy.
Communities in Austria's western Tyrol province have long complained about the traffic, especially trucks. The protesters at Matrei am Brenner called for an end to pollution, noise, and traffic jams, they say are plaguing local communities.
"There's so much freight traffic, and this is the main transit route from the north, from Germany to Italy, and far too little of it is being shifted onto rail," said 71-year-old Senn Burkhard.
"There are more and more of them. The roads can't cope anymore, and the people can't cope anymore either," added Klaus Rott Hauptmann, 64, an industrial mechanic.
Protest organiser Karl Muehlsteiger said 5,000 people took part in the demonstration, while the fire service put the number at 4,500, according to the APA news agency.
Muehlsteiger, the mayor of Gries am Brenner, told AFP the event had been "hugely successful".
Austrians demand action
"This is a very, very clear signal to the top political level -- they can no longer play it down or ignore it, and now it's up to those at the top to comply and start working on our demands," he said.
Because of the protest, authorities closed part of the highway and surrounding roads to transit traffic from 11am (0900 GMT) to 7pm.
Austria's motoring club OeAMTC had warned earlier of "extensive traffic jams" and advised drivers to avoid Tyrol. But it said the feared gridlock did not materialise.
"The disaster didn't happen because we announced it in advance," the organisation's Harald Lasser told AFP.
The German motorists' association ADAC also said there were no significant disruptions on the German side.
However, Italian train operator Trenitalia reported massive disruption to rail traffic on the Brenner to Verona line during the protest due to a "malicious act by unknown persons".
The OeAMTC said there could be heavier traffic on Sunday and Monday as people may have postponed planned trips.
Lorry traffic through the Alpine Brenner Pass has increased to the point that more than 2.4 million vehicles used it last year, according to mobility organisation VCOe.
This compares to 860,000 trucks passing through neighbouring Switzerland via four transit routes, VCOe added.
In 1991, only 900,000 lorries used the Brenner Pass, according to road statistics.
Austria has long battled the European Commission, which has said any ban on heavy goods lorries risks disrupting European Union road traffic.
In 2023, the EU's top court suspended an Austrian order banning heavy goods lorries from a stretch of the highway.
Austria has been in dispute with its EU neighbours over the environmental impact of truck traffic since it joined the bloc in 1995.
