GR Mag. Thomas Reindl (SPÖ) began by thanking the Wiener Linien, “who look after 2.2 million passengers every day with the greatest possible safety”. This year, “rails and switches in existing operations were also renovated and replaced”. He was “amazed that the Greens were against subway construction.” Even if the necessary construction sites would cause CO2, a lot of CO2 could be saved by operating the new subway. Tram connections would also be expanded. The Wiener Linien is also “a great trainer”. The Wiener Linien and its employees would provide outstanding performance. The fact that subway construction is influenced by extreme weather situations cannot be changed and affects all construction projects in the world. You also have to have a little patience. The information transfer works perfectly, and current data on the most recent failure of the U1 can also be accessed promptly and reliably. The same applies to the construction progress of the U2/U5 expansion. The network infrastructure in Vienna and Austria is also “excellent” in an international comparison. The federal government has accumulated a disproportionate amount of debt in recent years. He doesn’t want to condemn it and has different reasons. The same applies to Vienna.
GR Kilian Stark (GREEN) said that “for the people who work, live and travel in Vienna today,” it makes a big difference whether the new subway is ready now or in a few years. The Wiener Linien would currently be “groaning and breaking”, and the good reputation of the last few years would also be suffering greatly. Neighbors of the various major subway construction sites would also suffer greatly from the situation. Traders are also severely affected. For all of them, the extension of the construction period by one year is a very big burden. The replacement traffic for the canceled lines was not sufficient from the outset. This problem will now continue to burden people for another year. In the past, trams that ran parallel to newly built subway lines were discontinued or shortened. In the current situation, the question arises as to whether trams could be a good replacement. Stark criticized that the Wiener Linien had not received the attention it deserved in recent years. Here we have to look at resilience and invest. Another point of criticism from Stark concerned transparency and openness. According to Stark, a company involved in the subway construction spoke of a tunnel collapse, while the Wiener Linien communicated unforeseen earth movements as the reason for delays. They want the best public transport for Vienna and that includes education and transparency.
Vote: The motions submitted during the debate did not receive the necessary majority.
After the debate on the urgent question was concluded, the agenda continued.
Extension of the credit approval for the project on Hauptstraße B14a in Vienna 20, 21 and 22, Brigittenauer Brücke, and Hauptstraße B226 in Vienna 20 and 21, Floridsdorfer Brücke, replacement of the road crossing structures, planning and construction services (continuation)
GR Kilian Stark (GREEN) continued his request to speak on the subject of “Extension of the credit approval for the project on Hauptstraße B14a in Vienna 20, 21 and 22, Brigittenauer Brücke, and Hauptstraße B226 in Vienna 20 and 21, Floridsdorfer Brücke, replacement of the road crossing structures, planning and Construction work”. He found out by chance that the Steinitzsteg near the north bridge would be closed for several years without replacement. This is a central bicycle connection across the New and Old Danube. Canceling this route for several years without replacement is not an alternative. During its construction, the accompanying paths for cyclists and pedestrians on the north bridge were removed. Stark submitted a motion to find an alternative for cyclists and pedestrians.
GR Ernst Holzmann (SPÖ) replied to the previous speaker that the Steinitzsteg was a federal bridge and that solutions for bicycle and pedestrian traffic would also be sought. There are still several years until the construction project, there is no exact time horizon yet, the city will find a solution.
The extension of the credit approval was unanimously decided. The motions submitted did not receive the necessary majority.
Planning document No. 8413 in the 19th district, KatG Oberdöbling
GRin Mag. Heidemarie sequence (GRÜNE) explained that this post was about the dedication and an exchange of land in Döbling. The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna needs more space and in return the city of Vienna would receive land in Aspern. All of this is welcome. Sequence brought an application against the development of a piece of forest in the Danube city owned by the municipality of Vienna.
GR Dipl.-Ing. Omar Al-Rawi (SPÖ) pointed out that dedication procedures are “always a long road”. As long as procedures have not been completed, motions for resolutions submitted are not the appropriate instrument. You should not force dedications via applications. He asked the plan document to be approved and the applications submitted to be rejected.
The dedication and the exchange of land were decided by a majority vote; the proposals submitted did not receive the necessary majority.
Economic plan “Vienna Health Association” 2025
GRin Mag. Barbara Huemer (GREEN) demanded that the city hospitals must ensure the best medical care. There is still a shortage of personnel. There is also a worrying migration from public health facilities to private institutions. This leads to two classes of medicine. The population is losing trust in the health system of the city of Vienna, criticized Huemer. Doctors’ weekend and night shifts have been improved, but this is only to combat symptoms. The staff is still suffering massively from the planning uncertainty. In addition, there is a lack of the right ideas as to where the budget could be saved. The argument that guest patients would overwhelm the resources of Vienna’s hospitals is also not permissible. The modernization of hospitals and new recruitment strategies for staff are positive. There is still a lot of work to be done and “real” reforms are needed, Huemer concluded.
GR Kurt Wagner (SPÖ) expressed his complete “confidence in the social partnership” in connection with personnel planning. He is convinced that the present economic plan is a good and reliable basis for planning.
The economic plan was approved unanimously, but the motion submitted did not receive the necessary majority.
The public part of the 60th meeting of the Vienna City Council ended at 8:04 p.m.
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