Next public meeting on March 4th
Vienna (OTS/RK) – The local council committee for petitions met in a public meeting today, Friday, in the Vienna City Hall. Four petitions were on the agenda.
Petition “Marlen-Haushofer-Weg railway crossing to Stadlau industrial park”
Petitioner Stefan Lukač came accompanied by the local council committee and explained the petition’s concerns: In order to get to the commercial park, which is only a few hundred meters away, the residents in the residential complex on Marlen-Haushofer-Weg and the surrounding area would have to go via Hirschstettner Straße due to the lack of access take a detour of around 1.5 kilometers. Older people, children and people with disabilities are also forced to organize a ride. It is assumed that a future crossing over the Eastern Railway or to the Bim station would be used by thousands of people. An underpass would also be an option to overcome the tracks. It would be important for the contributors to be informed about the time horizon for possible implementation.
Petition “Less through traffic through the creation of a residential street Franzensgasse”
Petition submitter Herbert Pánek presented the issue to the local council committee. The top priority would be safety for pedestrian traffic; dangerous situations are likely, especially given the minimum width of the sidewalks in Franzensgasse. What is called for is an elevation of the roadway to sidewalk level in combination with a residential street, which, in the petitioner’s opinion, would severely limit truck traffic in the alley. What is also required is a “fair” distribution of road space among all road users. Another problem: In the event of an emergency, rescue and fire service vehicles would be hindered by the remaining, insufficiently narrow roadway access. The width of the road between the parallel parking lanes is so narrow that parked cars are regularly damaged. Passing traffic is regularly responsible for broken rear-view mirrors. The parking lanes on both sides would prevent the safe use of the street space. Even if the source and destination traffic make up the largest share of the traffic volume, the through traffic, with which drivers want to avoid stopping at traffic lights on the way to the city center, is also a problem. A reduction in parking spaces by an estimated 40 percent would solve the majority of the problems mentioned. It is also believed that immediate measures such as reversing the one-way system between Schönbrunner Straße and Grüngasse, reducing the turning radius on Schönbrunner Straße or installing a speed bump would achieve positive effects for the residents of Franzensgasse with little effort.
Petition “Trees instead of bollards”
Petition submitter Elisabeth Menasse-Wiesbauer came to the local council committee to explain the matter. For some time now, bollards have been set up on many street corners in the 2nd district to prevent the street corners from being parked. She appeals to the district council to gradually replace these bollards with trees. Trees are an important contribution to the fight against the climate crisis; the summer heat can best be alleviated by the shade of trees. Although Leopoldstadt has large green areas, the streets and alleys in the neighborhood Leopoldsgasse, Große Sperlgasse and Karmelitermarkt are “stone and asphalt deserts”. Greening would bring about a significant improvement both climatically and aesthetically. Placing the trees where bollards are now located would not eliminate any existing parking spaces. She finds the statements submitted so far to be positive and constructive, but there are some counterarguments, such as the restriction of road safety. She doesn’t recognize this because there are no schools in the area and there is relatively little traffic, said the petition submitter. A long-term survey of planned tree locations would also be helpful in order to be able to create a priority list.
Petition “A bicycle street for safe routes to school in Vienna 16/17”.
Petition submitter Reinhard Klauser presented the issue to the local council committee together with Gabriele Grün. He himself was doubly affected by the situation as a father but also as a teacher and “learned a lot about district politics” during the discussions about the petition. The largely positive reactions in the available statements are pleasing – also across party lines. The problem is such that through traffic for vehicles should be prevented and cross traffic should be restricted in order to enable safe routes to school for children. The “Fahrradstrasse 16/17” initiative calls for effective traffic calming for Seeböckgasse and Geblergasse, in the vicinity of which there are many schools and kindergartens. Traffic calming could be achieved by reducing transit traffic, for example through “diagonal filters” that would be used in bicycle streets. The currently only safe way for children to get to school safely by bike is the “Bici-Bus Hernals”. This initiative, in which numerous students travel to school together accompanied by parents, has been on the move every day since September 2023 – “a unique project in Vienna”. School staff would also welcome a safe cycle path connection. Seeböckgasse and Geblergasse could offer a safe cycling connection away from the main traffic routes as a cheap option, according to the submitters’ idea.
Session available to stream
A recording of today’s meeting will soon be available online at www.petitionen.wien.gv.at available at the link to the respective petition in a media library. The next public meeting of the Petitions Committee is expected to take place on March 4, 2024 in the town hall.
Petitions Committee since 2013
The Petitions Committee has existed since 2013. It is made up of local councilors from all factions represented in the Vienna City Council. Regardless of their citizenship, Viennese people who have reached the age of 16 have the opportunity to bring their concerns to the Petitions Committee. These will be discussed in the committee if there are 500 or more supporters. All petitions submitted so far are below www.petitionen.wien.gv.at available. Online petitions (ID Austria required) can also be supported or submitted there. (End) not
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