Lake Garda Traffic Plans: Temporary Measures and Future Development
Technical tests for the new tourist season on Lake Garda’s low area have already disrupted traffic flow. A long line of vehicles has strangled the road network during the May Day bridge. Thousands of tourists, along with many more “commuters” for vacation purposes, flooded Sirmione and Desenzano, the most popular destinations for impulsive tourism. There was complete paralysis on the main arteries connecting the towns. Residents found themselves, involuntarily, trapped amidst caravans, cars, and motorcycles. Collapse was narrowly avoided.
However, many are asking: what will happen when the tourist season reaches its peak? In Sirmione, by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the Monte Baldo parking lot was already full: barriers were lowered, and hundreds of motorists cursed as they had to turn back and head elsewhere. Fortunately, the inconveniences were brief, thanks to the intervention of Municipal Police who activated the emergency plan, installing barriers and providing tourists with crucial information about the impossibility of passing beyond via Colombare (near the sports field), and guiding them along alternative routes.
Temporary measures and future plans
At this point, the second phase of the operation was activated: cars were parked in the S. Vito parking lot, and people, disciplined, headed on foot along the beautiful lakeside promenade to the historic center. The walk takes about twenty minutes—an enjoyable, healthy stroll. From that point onward, from Colombare to the Castle, the road was reopened, resulting in clear benefits: less pollution, and improved safety conditions for emergency vehicles needing access to the peninsula.
However, these are temporary measures—that cannot serve as a definitive solution to the traffic problem. Instead, the urban traffic plan has long been anticipated by the City Council. A similar situation is observed in Desenzano. In one of the upcoming council meetings, the Urban Planning Councillor Orlando Farinelli announced, “the traffic plan will finally be presented for approval.”
Development plans and future projects
Of course, once approved, implementation will take time, which is unlikely to be short. New parking facilities with 1,200 spaces need to be built, and Farinelli’s proposal to create “a water shuttle service—between Desenzano and Rivoltella and vice versa on certain days and times”—must be formalized. This aims to discourage drivers from entering the city and instead encourages the use of boats.
Currently, it is not even feasible, notes Municipal Police Commander Lieutenant Carlalberto Presicci, to implement the “green wave” as it happens in Brescia along the ring road. “The green traffic light wave can be implemented,” Presicci explains, “when there is only one traffic direction, but in Desenzano, the side streets are overwhelmed by traffic: the real issue is volume.” Many cars pass through Sant’Angela during peak hours of a holiday: 25,000 vehicles in four hours at the Perla roundabout, and about 20,000 from Sirmione. Meanwhile, the Lonato – Desenzano – Sirmione bypass remains closed at Rovizza.