"The toll of the city is not excluded" "DiePresse.com

Vienna. "We are a little closer to the restrictions of access to the city center of Vienna." New regulations, terminals on important access roads (retractable if necessary in the ground) or the perception of the congestion charge are options. The head of the 1st district, Markus Figl (ÖVP), told reporters on Friday.

Concrete proposals would now be drafted by the city's District Traffic Commission (composed of all elected political groups). When suggestions should be at the table, is not fixed yet – but it's about months, not years. It has been openly discussed, there is no prohibition to think – this Figl has baderted especially with regard to the irritating theme "toll city."

The district chief recalled that there were about 250,000 people a day in the city center. count. It is therefore necessary to give the inhabitants of the neighborhood a "domestic advantage". Otherwise, the neighborhood would lose its own people and become a "Habsburg Disneyland".

The latter said that Figl was overlooking the parking of the rangers. There are currently 1540 reserved parking spaces – only for residents of the city. And that should remain so. He was not "blackmailed" by traffic advisor Maria Vbadilakou (Greens). This threatens in particular the adjacent parking lots.

Tense relationship

The conflict had recently rocked: Vbadilakou had declared that squatters would be open to businessmen during the day. Figl had refused. And was not willing to fund the necessary additional advice from the district budget. On the contrary, he wanted to move some nearby parking spaces to more crowded places. Again, Vbadilakou did not play the game.

In terms of access restrictions, Vbadilakou was at least cooperative. She congratulated Figl in a statement sent to the Austrian press agency and said: "I'm glad we do not want to waste time aligning ourselves, which is not everything, but together on the big picture, namely a great concept of traffic. "

Already at the beginning of the year, Vbadilakou had announced" a concept of complete circulation for the particular situation of the 1st arrondissement ". Italian cities that have managed to defuse the chaos of traffic in their centers, "she said.This already indicated plans for the introduction of access restrictions.

So, again , blissfully happy? Not at all. Because Vbadilakou recently declared that Rotenturmstrbade could become a meeting place (a common traffic area for all road users), Figl complains that the district has not been asked (see above)

("Die Presse", printed edition, 14.07.2018)