Salzburg Enforces Summer Tourist Driving Ban, Targeting 1,000 Fewer Cars a Day
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 1
Salzburg Enforces Summer Tourist Driving Ban, Targeting 1,000 Fewer Cars a Day
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 1
Summary
Salzburg has started policing a July-August ban on most visitor cars entering its historic centre, with fines of up to €80 for outside-region plates in the old-town zone.
City leaders say the measure aims to cut 1,000 vehicle entries a day after last summer's gridlock and rising resident complaints about overtourism-driven traffic.
A €7.50 park-and-ride day ticket covering local public transport for five people is meant to steer day-trippers away from driving into the centre.
Exemptions cover commuters, deliveries, taxis, rental cars, disabled visitors, hotel guests and some nearby Bavarian motorists, limiting the impact on residents and business traffic.
The policy follows limited-traffic models used in Italian cities and Dubrovnik as Salzburg — home to 158,000 people but more than 3 million overnight stays a year — grapples with tourism pressure.