Border controls lead to mega backlog: vacationers are stuck!

Border controls lead to mega backlog: vacationers are stuck!

Zirl, Österreich - On Saturday, June 29, 2025, the traffic light was switched to red on the southern portal of the Scharnitz tunnel, which led to considerable traffic problems on the Austrian-German border. This decision was a result of increased entry controls of the German Federal Police, which was carried out on the instructions of Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). Mayor Christian Hersberger from Scharnitz described the situation as "catastrophe" because the traffic jams reached to Zirl.

The traffic problems result from the required speed reduction to ten km/h at the checkpoints. As a result, the upstream of Scharnitz was temporarily blocked in order to regulate the traffic situation, which is often known as block handling. Dr. Rainer Scharf, spokesman for the Federal Police in Rosenheim, emphasized that stowage production was not the goal of the controls, but the containment of smuggling crime.

traffic flows and alternative routes

To escape traffic jams, more and more holidaymakers choose alternative routes, especially through the Leutascher valley. Mayor Georgios Chrysochoidis from Leutasch reported that the situation was noticeable for his community, but not dramatic. Despite the diversion through alternative routes, the traffic situation remains a challenge.

Mayor of yourberger expressed concerns about how rescue workers can react quickly enough in Scharnitz in times of high traffic loads. He not only sees the traffic situation as a current problem, but as a long -term challenge for the place and demands decisions that must be made at a higher level. He assessed his own room for maneuver as limited.