Urgent request from the Greens to Mayor Ludwig
Vienna (OTS/RK) – Following the agenda, the second urgent question of the day was debated, submitted by the Greens and addressed to city boss Michael Ludwig regarding “climate problem child transport – Vienna is in danger of missing its climate targets due to discouraged politics”.
GR Kilian Stark (GREEN) said in his justification that it was now about actively shaping the city. This should be left as “liveable” as possible, says Stark. Sometimes it feels like you are sitting in an “exciting film and are just a spectator,” said the Green local councilor. “But we are the main actors. We’re writing the happy ending.” He criticized the fact that things were being addressed by the city, but the reality showed a “sobering picture”. For him, traffic remains the city’s “problem child”. The Vienna Climate Timetable is a “good idea”, but people forget that car traffic needs to be “drastically” reduced in order to achieve the climate goals. This makes up a “lion’s share”. Stark specifically mentioned a reduction to 15% of total mobility as a sensible size (note: currently 27%). This reduction must be the overarching goal, demanded the MP. There’s no point in “drinking up the city street” if you only act half-heartedly, said Stark. His group therefore sees the city government as pursuing a “courageous policy”. Stark described the investments in cycling as “ridiculous”. “It’s like putting out a house fire with a water gun,” he said, referring to the money invested in road projects at the same time. Above all, he lacks speed when it comes to climate protection. Stark advocated a “climate-friendly belt”, a “climate-fit two-way line” and meeting areas on Gumpendorfer Straße and Landstraßer Hauptstraße. Traffic calming and greening of school forecourts are also important. You also have to dare to think outside the box and bring positive examples from other cities to Vienna. Stark cited Paris (cycling), Brussels and Helsinki (Tempo30) as examples. Stark appealed to all factions to seize the opportunity and “set the course now”.
Mayor Ludwig began his answer to the urgent question by saying that Vienna is a “pioneer when it comes to mobility transition”. This would also be proven by figures such as car density, modal split or (high-ranking or highest-ranking) public transport access as well as the positive development in recent years – not only through the boost in walking and cycling traffic during the corona pandemic. Starting from 40%, this consistent mobility policy has reduced the proportion of journeys made by car to 26%, said the Mayor of Vienna. In this context, Ludwig also emphasized the high quality of life in Vienna.
The city takes the “excellent position” as an opportunity to take the desired objectives seriously and is therefore continuing to invest intensively in public transport (e.g. subway and tram expansion or electric buses, increased frequency), improvements for pedestrians and associated climate protection measures. Measures, said Mayor Ludwig. The expansion of cycling facilities is also at the top of the list of projects, with more than 50 projects already implemented during the legislative period. Mayor Ludwig said that
The mobility system in Vienna is one of the best in the world, which is also recognized internationally. If we take a closer look at the figures from other cities, Vienna would already be in the top spot. With the expansion of parking space management to all districts, a relevant incentive has been created for the more judicious use of cars. Ludwig pointed out that there is a “certain time delay” in long-term changes to mobility habits. That’s why he couldn’t understand the “alarmism in the current situation”. City boss Ludwig clearly noted that the goals set in the city government’s Vienna climate roadmap “do not mean a ban on private cars”. Something like that “doesn’t make sense and is currently an illusion,” says Ludwig. Rather, it is about ensuring a “Vienna-wide mobility guarantee”. “In Vienna you can be mobile without owning a car,” says Ludwig.
Current redesigns of streets such as Argentinierstrasse, Praterstrasse, Lasallestrasse, Wagramer Strasse or Outer Mariahilfer Strasse would clearly show that courageous decisions are being made in Vienna, emphasized the Vienna Mayor. Politics is always on the side of the citizens, Ludwig explained. This also applies to the maintenance of a “functional transport network for motor vehicles”. In this context, Ludwig called the recently presented climate bonus “completely wrong”. This de facto represents a “punishment of the Viennese” and therefore a punishment for choosing a sustainable and central residential location with the lowest land consumption and climate impact.
Mayor Ludwig further said that there is the “unpleasant” fact that around 23% of cars that cross the city limits from outside Vienna pass through Vienna. This transit traffic places a high burden on the population in Vienna. In addition, this also means worse statistical performance values for Vienna at e.g. B. the emissions from the transport sector due to this transit traffic. That’s why investments in public transport have been intensifying throughout the region for years, explained Ludwig. The city of Vienna acts in close coordination with its partners at the federal level and the other two states in the eastern region. As an example, Ludwig cited the work that has already begun to make the main S-Bahn line more attractive. Of course, the city of Vienna cannot solve the challenges in this area on its own; Ludwig missed the support from the state of Lower Austria in implementing a tram to Schwechat.
Mayor Ludwig counted the standardization of Vienna’s parking space management as a success in mobility policy. This is “a key climate protection measure,” he said. This measure also had a “sustainable impact on and changed motorized behavior in the city” and meant a “promising increase in the attractiveness” of public space and a major increase in quality of life. According to city boss Ludwig, the freed-up space was used for cycle paths and greening measures. The target set out in the climate roadmap is being met in an exemplary manner, said Ludwig, with reference to the redistribution of public space. For example, “more space for sidewalks, safe cycle paths, trees and lounges” are planned. The existing Supergrätzl in the densely built-up area in Favoriten is also a “successful model” for Ludwig. This has led to a strong reduction in private motor vehicles and towards active mobility. The “Supergrätzl” system will therefore be further advanced, Ludwig announced.
On the subject of traffic safety, Ludwig said that the city of Vienna is persistently pursuing “Vision Zero”. There have never been fewer traffic deaths in Vienna than in 2023, said the mayor of Vienna. It should also be noted that around 80% of 247 school locations have already been redesigned and traffic calmed during this government period. More than a quarter of elementary schools now have a car-free school forecourt. The trend continues to increase, noted Ludwig. The locations Pfeilgasse in the 8th district and Märzstrasse in the 14th district are examples of this. “Speed speed 30 is an important contribution to the realization of Vision Zero, which is why speed 30 has already been imposed on around three quarters of the streets in Vienna’s entire road network.”
On the subject of green space, Ludwig said that Vienna is one of the greenest cities in the world with a green space share of 53% in the city area. According to Ludwig, a high proportion of green space goes hand in hand with a high quality of life. The Vienna city gardens alone would manage around 500,000 trees, which would also act as highly effective, natural air conditioning. In addition, the city of Vienna regularly sets new initiatives to increase the number of trees and has been able to gain a total of 105 hectares of forest since 1985, explained Ludwig. According to the Vienna Climate Roadmap, 25,000 planned urban trees are to be planted during the current government period. “As I was informed, a total of 19,413 trees have been planted in public spaces since the beginning of the legislative period until the end of April 2024,” noted the Mayor of Vienna.
Ludwig expressed his incomprehension about the accusation regarding traffic calming in the inner city. A finished feasibility study has been available here for years, but it has been blocked by the federal government citing data protection concerns, said Ludwig. With the implementation, the number of private motor vehicles could be reduced by around 15,000 entries per working day in the 1st district and the parking space utilization on the surface could be reduced by around a quarter, said the Vienna city boss in the direction of the Greens. We are waiting in vain for the relevant legal provisions.
Ludwig also cannot understand the accusation from the Vienna Greens that Vienna is behind schedule in planning public transport. He assured that both the implementation of trams and the increasing frequency and closing of gaps in public transport – such as in Liesing – are working at full speed. However, simply paying attention to expanding the network is not enough. Rather, the focus is on keeping the inventory in good shape.
When asked specifically about the expansion of the cycling network, Ludwig said that numerous implementations had been initiated “at great expense”. The so-called cycling offensives would show that many kilometers of cycling infrastructure have been created, said Ludwig. In 2022 alone, 17 new kilometers were added to the main cycle network, and in 2023 there were 20 kilometers. Ludwig announced another 20 kilometers for this year. “It is important to us to create comfortable and modern cycling infrastructure, which is why in the current period we have primarily implemented structurally separated cycle paths and bicycle-friendly streets,” said the Mayor of Vienna. 83 percent of the kilometers are structurally separated cycle paths. In addition, Vienna is also a leader in the creation of so-called “walking master plans”. The majority of Vienna’s districts now have master plans for walking or are close to completion.
For Ludwig, the Aspern city street should be “viewed in the overall context of urban development”. It is an essential prerequisite for the construction of affordable and climate-friendly apartments for a total of 60,000 people in the new urban expansion areas in the northeast of Vienna and is required in the environmental impact assessment for Seestadt Nord. According to Ludwig, without these new apartments there would be relocation to the surrounding area. This would have negative consequences for the climate such as more soil sealing, no district heating and more commuter traffic. From an urban planning perspective, a mix of measures that focuses on both environmental integration and the bundling of car traffic is therefore necessary, Ludwig explained. Of course, at the same time, the expansion of public transport in the Danube city is being pushed forward massively. Experts have confirmed that the impact of such an individual project on the entire modal split cannot be reliably determined. “With the Aspern city road, a 3.2 km long municipal road, we have a project that has been approved by all authorities,” clarified Ludwig. (cont.) kri
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