The two governing parties ÖVP and the Greens are currently negotiating more 30 km/h zones in the region. Changed traffic rules should make it easier for municipalities to exceed these speed limits in the future. The coalition is mainly thinking of zones around kindergartens, schools, hospitals or facilities for the elderly.
Expert statements are now needed to demonstrate that a 30 km/h zone is really necessary. That should now change. “Implementing Tempo 30 on individual streets and routes is often a complex and costly process with many hurdles,” said a joint broadcast of municipalities and cities. More than 230 of them support an initiative of the Austrian Traffic Club, which wants to change the procedure. She demands that municipalities in the village or on provincial roads can introduce 30 km/h without obstacles.
The background to this is the large number of road deaths and the experience that some motorists do not comply with the applicable speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour. According to the ÖVP, these are mainly sensitive areas such as kindergartens, schools, hospitals or facilities for the elderly. “It is not about a general reduction to Tempo 30, but about special provisions for people who are very deserving of protection,” ÖVP traffic spokesman Andreas Ottenschläger tells “Ö1.”
Approval also came from the Ministry of Transport. A lower speed on the street would mean more safety and quality of life for locals, it said. “It leads to fewer road deaths, reduces emissions that are harmful to the climate and also saves money thanks to lower fuel consumption.”
Bill pending
The ÖVP and the Greens are currently working on a bill. Green traffic spokesman Hermann Weratschnig wants to interpret the planned change even more broadly. “I would like to suggest that street associations and neighborhoods also have this option,” he said in the “Ö1-Mittagsjournal.” Critics of the planned measure object, among other things, that Tempo 30 has hardly been checked so far. There is no concrete timetable yet, but an agreement should be possible by the autumn.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
