Only voluntary

Expensive cycle path does not have to be used

The cycle connection in Pötzleinsdorfer Straße: there is a shared footpath and cycle path here.

(Bild: Bartel Gerhard/Gerhard Bartel)

The cycle path in Pötzleinsdorfer Straße in Währing is causing some astonishment. It does not have to be used. But such exceptions are not an isolated case

Just a few days ago, the city published its cycle path balance sheet for the year 2024 and took a lot of credit for it: With around 53 million euros invested and 23 kilometers of new cycle paths in the main traffic network and 15 kilometers in the district network, the previous record was clearly exceeded.

The meeting of pedestrians and cyclists is not always as harmonious as in this advertising picture.

(Bild: Mobilitätsagentur Wien/zoom vp)

13.7 kilometers of cycle paths without mandatory use
However, the increasing number of cycle paths means that not all of them have to be used - with consequences for all other road users. City Councillor for Transport Ulli Sima (SPÖ) answers how many of them there are in a municipal inquiry from the Freedom Party. There are currently 355.6 kilometers of cycle paths with compulsory use in Vienna (as of October 2024) - 13.7 kilometers of cycle paths without. The abolition of the obligation to use cycle lanes is being examined by MA46 (Traffic). Districts, MA28, LPD Vienna and Wiener Linien are involved.

It is absurd to squander millions of euros on cycle paths for which there is no obligation to use them. This leads to traffic obstructions on rail roads such as Pötzleinsdorferstraße. I demand real road safety for pedestrians on cycle paths, such as on the Ring. We need sensible solutions!

FPÖ-Klubobmann Maximilian Krauss

Bild: APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER

The FPÖ is critical. It is absurd to waste a lot of money on cycle paths for which there is no obligation to use them. Pötzleinsdorfer Straße is cited as an example. A new cycle connection was not built there until 2022. However, there is only a mixed footpath and cycle path here - without any obligation to use it. Cyclists can therefore continue to pedal on the road next to the light rail. Reason: "Planning constraints" (existing trees). Because of 107 lime trees (the oldest of which dates back to 1813) that stand in this section. 

Councillor Sima's office does not understand the criticism. There have been no complaints about the cycle path in Pötzleinsdorf - on the contrary, it has been well received. In principle, the following applies: in the case of mixed footpaths and cycle paths, the obligation to use them can be lifted. In this case, this was done in order to allow fast and experienced cyclists to use the roadway and to reduce any conflicts with pedestrian traffic. The Freedom Party is also calling for speeding cyclists to be severely penalized, such as on the cycle path in Pötzleinsdorferstraße.