Transitforum Austria-Tyrol chairman Fritz Gurgiser is aiming for a “face to face” focal point meeting with Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) in the fight against excessive transit traffic and the associated health and environmental pollution. Gurgiser explained in the APA interview that he was officially and personally inviting the chancellor to a local inspection on the Inntalautobahn (A12) in Tyrol and to a subsequent discussion with affected citizens and families.
The meeting should be fixed after Easter and take place before the summer, Gurgiser formulated his expectations. He also sent a letter to the Federal Chancellor with a corresponding invitation. “We would be happy if the chancellor personally listened to the factual arguments of the Austrian ‘first fighter generation’,” said the Transitforum boss, who sees himself as a “street fighting man”. The aim is to convey the dimension of the problem and the urgency of measures to Nehammer in a “neutral” manner. “And apart from any party politics, I’m not interested in this context,” emphasized Gurgiser, who has headed the nationwide organization for decades.
Meetings and local inspections could take place in Vomp in the Lower Inn Valley, his hometown, according to Gurgiser. In any case, he would organize everything, said the Transitforum chairman, who also cleared up any concerns on another front from the start with a wink: “We will also take care of the physical well-being, and that with 100 percent regional products.” Of course he was aware of the chancellor’s “dense schedule of appointments”, but it was now “priorities that had to be given priority” and that one or the other less important date had to be skipped. “If you want, you have time,” explained Gurgiser, who attested to the Chancellor sending a “strong signal” in advance if he accepted.
In connection with the urgent request for an on-site inspection and chancellor-citizen talks, Gurgiser again vehemently pushed for the Austria-wide reduction of the air pollutant and particulate matter limits in the Federal IG Air Act. Background: As is well known, the World Health Organization (WHO) had redefined the limit values. The European Commission then submitted a corresponding proposal to reduce the limit values for nitrogen dioxide and fine dust. Here Gurgiser saw the obligation of the turquoise-green federal government to take the initiative. It could be a long time before the European Parliament and the Council agree on the Commission’s proposal. Very rapid Austrian action is therefore needed so that the IG-L protection measures are not lifted and they “fly in our faces,” as Gurgiser put it bluntly.
It was a “penalty kick without a goalie,” Gurgiser put it in footballer jargon. The result of lowering the limit value is an ecological and economic “win-win situation.” “Anyone who misses the penalty without a goalie, on the other hand, is opposed to health, climate and operational safety,” urged Gurgiser for a “goal”.