Gardasee Interruption: Limited Signage and Traffic Management Plans

Autobrennero has announced that it is not possible to display notices about the interruption of the Western Gardesana between Riva and Limone at the Europa bridge barrier, the first checkpoint that the stream of cars heading south for the Easter holidays will have to pass through. To intervene within Austrian territory, bureaucratic channels are complex and time-consuming: there is no time. The maximum availability for the rest of the route includes signs at the Vipiteno barrier and at the stations of Trento, Rovereto Nord, Rovereto Sud, and Affi.

Communications and instructions to tourists

As days pass, the problem becomes clearer: essentially, it is about informing tourists on the western shore of Garda that they must follow the motorway up to Desenzano and then head north again. Those who are not informed of the interruption—either because they do not want to or cannot be—will end up in Riva following their usual itinerary after years of routine. Bottlenecks are a daunting prospect.

Management capacity and current parking situation

Deputy Mayor Matteotti measured and re-measured the length of road from Navigarda’s pier in Piazza Catena to Largo Inviolata, the furthest point of the anticipated parking queue. There is space for 140 cars if parked tightly side by side. Navigarda handles around 400 cars per day, possibly 450, but no more.

However, in past summers, as many as 2,500 cars traversed southbound during weekends (and similar numbers heading north, but those do not cause congestion). It is not possible to extend the queue beyond Inviolata, as parked cars would block Viale dei Tigli and Viale Trento, affecting the Val di Ledro and the route towards Arco. The consequences would be catastrophic, creating a situation never seen before in the Busa.

Measures taken and future forecasts

The highway management has announced that notices can be displayed at all stations within Italy, from Vipiteno downward. The emergency is expected to recur at the end of April for the Bike Festival (from April 28 to May 1), in May for Ascension, and in June for Pentecost. The only way out is through information: allowing people to reach Riva without guidance would be a disaster.