"Choice of transportation"

People in these cities have few cars

Cars in Villach (archive image)

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

The gap between urban and rural areas is widening in terms of car ownership. According to Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ), people in all provincial capitals except Eisenstadt had fewer cars in 2023 than in the previous year. At the same time, the number of cars in rural areas increased.

Across Austria, residents in Vienna-Margareten had the fewest cars (260 per 1,000). In Vienna, there were also four other districts with fewer than 300 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023. Vienna was followed by Innsbruck (437 per 1000 people), Graz (470), Linz (502) and the city of Salzburg (511). People in Bregenz (540) and in the Vorarlberg districts of Dornbirn (524) and Bludenz (547) also had a below-average number of cars. The average car motorization rate in the previous year was 566.

The Lower Austrian district of Waidhofen an der Thaya was the one with the highest number (767). People there had more cars in the previous year than in 2022.

"Important everyday destinations within walking distance"
"A low level of car motorization today is a sign that the population has a more diverse range of mobility options available and that important everyday destinations are also easily accessible on foot and by bike, such as stores, schools, health or leisure facilities," said Michael Schwendinger from the VCÖ. Instead of being dependent on a car, the population has more "freedom in their choice of transportation."

However, the situation is different in many regions, where the federal and provincial governments are called upon to improve public mobility services.