Redesign begins

How to get the traffic out of Landstraße

Head of the mobility agency Martin Blum, City Councillor for Transport Ulli Sima (SPÖ) and District Head Erich Hohenberger (SPÖ) at Rochusmarkt. The popular market will soon become a meeting zone.

(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Landstraßer Hauptstraße in the third district is finally being redesigned: A 30 km/h speed limit, two new meeting zones, new cycle paths and more greenery are intended to calm traffic on the shopping street

"It's a really tough nut to crack here," said City Councillor for Transport Ulli Sima (SPÖ) on Monday afternoon at the presentation of the new Landstraßer Hauptstraße and spoke of a "difficult situation" due to the space available. But now it is finally coming - the long-awaited redesign of the third district's lifeline.

Only gradual implementation possible
This is what the new concept for one of Vienna's most important shopping streets looks like in concrete terms: From 2026, a structurally separated one-way cycle path will be built between Juchgasse and Schlachthausgasse for around 700 meters on both sides. In the section between Schlachthausgasse and Rennweg, a two-way cycle path will be built with the extension of streetcar line 18. 33 new trees will also be planted in this section. The preparatory work for this will begin in fall 2025.

This is what the meeting zone at Rochusmarkt will look like.

(Bild: ZOOM visual project gmbh)

In the second stage, the implementation of two pedestrian zones is also planned. At the level of Rochusmarkt - between Weyrgasse and Erdbergstraße - and between Barichgasse and Juchgasse, all road users will share the road space in future. The speed limit in the meeting zone is 20 km/h. District leader Erich Hohenberger (SPÖ) is satisfied. He emphasizes that "ideas and suggestions can still be incorporated". In addition, a 30 km/h speed limit is to apply along the entire Landstraße in future. The redesign will take around a year. The first two sections should be completed by the end of 2027. 

It is important to us that Landstraßer Hauptstraße remains a lively shopping street, that people can drive onto, load and also drive through it. This is why shared zones are a good solution, as experience from other districts has shown.

Bezirksvorsteher Erich Hohenberger (SPÖ)

Bild: Eva Manhart

However, there is a small drop of bitterness: for the section from Wien Mitte station to Weyrgasse and for the area between Rochusmarkt and Barichgasse, no "optimal solution" has yet been found, according to City Councillor Sima. They first want to see how the redesign affects the use of Landstraßer Hauptstraße. Only then will it be possible to continue planning and move forward with the redesign step by step.