After yet another traffic collapse at the border, a columnist for Slobodna Dalmacija sharply criticizes the Government and Croatian Roads for years of ignoring infrastructure problems in the south of Croatia, while praising locals who helped tourists.
While the rest of Croatia went about its usual rhythm last weekend, the residents of Konavle were literally trapped in their homes. The traffic blockade that paralyzed this region, caused by massive queues at border crossings, was just a brief news item for most citizens. But for the people of Konavle, it was another episode in a series that exposes the systematic neglect of the south by the central authorities.
"Let's be realistic, the fact that Konavle was under a traffic blockade last weekend, that Konavle residents couldn't leave their homes for two days, is only their problem," ironically notes the author of the column published on August 8, 2026, on the Slobodna Dalmacija portal, adding that many in the country are even satisfied because, well, the south is just "fleecing" tourists.
In the text, the author reflects on years of agony and warnings that have systematically fallen on deaf ears. He reminds that Tonči Peović asked the then chief police director Nikola Milina eight years ago why Croatia hadn't prepared the border for Schengen standards. According to the author, Milina "almost called him an idiot," insisting that everything was ready. "The top cop in Croatia lied without batting an eye," writes the columnist.
Meanwhile, nothing has changed. The same author warned two years ago about the absurd situation at the Karasovići and Brgat crossings, where separating EU and non-EU travelers can only be done 200 meters from the police booth, while queues stretch up to 20 kilometers. "Even the stupidest government could have built a 2-kilometer auxiliary lane in 8 years," he emphasizes, noting that Croatian Roads have done almost nothing in the two years since his warning.
He is particularly scathing in describing the suffering of people trapped in cars. "The bigwigs in Brussels and Zagreb don't know what it's like to stand in a queue for 5 or 10 hours at 38 degrees, with two kids in a car where the engine runs for the air conditioning, with no toilet, no water. Nor do they care." Additionally, he notes that trucks can only be taken off the road on Pelješac, which further complicates an already chaotic situation.
The columnist spares neither state companies nor politicians, claiming that "their political sponsors in the Government don't care about Dubrovnik and Konavle." He ironically comments that the authorities now boast of having found a solution, but in reality, they "remembered exactly the solution we've been writing about for years. They're copying from newspapers. Shame on them!"
Despite all the bitterness, the text ends on a positive note. The author expresses pride in the local population who, even though they "paid for others' stupidity," rushed to help people trapped in the queues, at their own expense. He particularly highlights Božo Lasić, to whom he "tips his hat for everything he did."
He also praises the foreigners in the queue who this time didn't vent their anger on the innocent, recalling the incident two years ago when an angry mob attacked the Prlenda family. "I even tip my hat to the unfortunate people in the queue for not lashing out this year," the author concludes.
The Croatian government generally couldn't care less. If they read this, they'll say I'm lying because they built the Pelješac Bridge for us. Thanks, you shouldn't have; you could have given us that money in concessions.
Noting that the Pelješac "expressway" is actually a "thin intestine with two passing spots" and that rail connectivity is worse than in Africa, the author concludes that the south of Croatia remains the "fifth wheel on the car," left to fend for itself while political games are played hundreds of kilometers to the north.
