Convoys of lorries heavier than 7.5 tonnes, which are not allowed to go to the tunnel from 10 PM on Fridays until 3 PM on Saturdays between 29 July and 3 September, will be let through at 1 AM, 3 AM and 5 AM, the Slovenian transport Ministry said in a press release on Friday.
Austria recently adopted a regulation extending the ban on cargo vehicles by ten hours every weekend, as heavy lorries are already prohibited from using Slovenia's motorways on Saturdays from 8 AM to 1 PM during the tourist season and on Sundays from 8 AM to 9 PM throughout the year.
The move faced the opposition from Slovenian haulers, who have threatened on several occasions to block the tunnel for all traffic.
The head of the transport section of the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS), Andrej Klobasa, is not really satisfied with the deal. "But any agreement is better than no agreement," he told the STA in a response.
Klobasa is critical of the Slovenian Foreign Ministry for failing to examine whether Austria breached international treaties with the unilateral ban. "Transport Minister Patrick Vlacic, who has a PhD in law, is convinced that it has, and I believe him."
Asked about future measures by hauliers, he said that they would demand from the transport and foreign ministries to finally solve the issue and make sure that the ban is lifted.
SOURCE: The Slovenia Times
