Austria Protest Against Brenner Pass Traffic Noise and Pollution to Close Highway on 30 May 2026

A protest against noise and pollution is scheduled in Austria on Saturday 30 May 2026 and will close part of the Brenner Pass highway and surrounding roads to all transit traffic. The highway closure is scheduled from 11:00am local time (0900 GMT) to 7:00pm. The rally at Matrei am Brenner is scheduled to start at 1:00pm local time and last until 4:30pm.

The Brenner Pass highway connects Germany and Italy and links northern and southern Europe. The Austrian stretch of the highway provides trans-Alpine access into Italy. Communities in Austria's western Tyrol province have complained about traffic, especially trucks passing over the Brenner Pass.

Austria's motoring club OeAMTC warned of the possibility of extensive traffic jams and advised drivers to avoid travelling through Tyrol on 30 May 2026. Many Germans usually travel on the Brenner Pass during the Pentecost holidays. The protest is set to cause major traffic disruptions.

The rally is organised to protest against constantly increasing traffic, noise, and pollution at the Brenner Pass. 4 million vehicles used the Brenner Pass last year according to mobility organisation VCOe. In comparison, 860,000 trucks passed through neighbouring Switzerland via four transit routes, VCOe said.

In 1991, only 900,000 lorries used the Brenner Pass according to road statistics. Austria has been in dispute with the European Commission and its EU neighbours over the environmental impact of HGV traffic since joining the bloc in 1995. In 2023, the European Union's top court suspended an Austrian order banning heavy goods lorries from a stretch of the highway.

The European Commission has said any ban on heavy goods lorries risks disrupting EU road traffic.