Uproar over elevator

Uproar in town: “Old people can’t get to the center!”

The ageing lift in Waidhofen an der Thaya is once again causing a stir among the population.(Bild: KLAUS SCHINDLER)

There have been several uproars about the outdated lift that leads from the Arbeiterkammer parking lot to the center of Wiadhofen an der Thaya. It worked for around six months until a person was rescued at the end of May. It has now been closed for almost three weeks and is finally due to be repaired on Wednesday.

After an act of vandalism at the end of last year, when the lift was repaired and maintained, peace and quiet finally returned to the Arbeiterkammer parking lot in Waidhofen an der Thaya. Before that, wheelchair users and citizens who were already finding it difficult to walk raised the alarm: the elevator kept breaking down and people had to wait a long time for it to be repaired - as the "Krone" reported.

On the last day of May, the time had come once again: the ageing elevator trapped a person inside. The fire department rushed to the rescue and immediately took the lift "out of service" in consultation with the maintenance company.

Replacement part had a longer delivery time
Almost three weeks later, there is now more excitement from older citizens who contacted the "Krone": "We can no longer get into town. The note said that the lift would be repaired by June 14. These two weeks have passed and it's still broken," they say. Mayor Josef Ramharter explains that the service company received the spare parts later than expected: "But the repair was supposed to start and be completed today."

The maintenance company's promises were not to be fulfilled.(Bild: zVg)

Elevator does not belong to the city
The city boss emphasizes that the elevator, which belongs to a Volksbank subsidiary, has now been working for six months. The problem is known, but the lift is not a priority. "I can only keep trying to find a solution together with the owner," he says, describing the literally "tricky situation".