On the Autobahn – Higher fuel prices mean less traffic

In the first half of the year, there were even more cars on the motorways of Upper Austria than in the first half of 2021 (although there was a lockdown there), but that changed in the third quarter (i.e. from July to September), according to the Austrian traffic club, which compiled the figures for the analyzed Asfinag census points.

polls confirmed
“What surveys have already shown is now also reflected in the data from counting stations: some drivers have reacted to the increased fuel prices and have, for example, switched car journeys to public transport or formed carpools,” says VCÖ expert Michael Schendinger.

On the A1 near Haid (where the most traffic is registered year after year), the number of cars fell by almost 700,000. However, 9.45 million car journeys were still counted. The frequency on the A7 near Gallneukirchen also fell considerably, namely by 231,000 journeys.

Here are the numbers in detail:

• A1 Haid: 9.46 million cars (minus 690,000 cars)
• A7 Bindermichl: 8.21 million cars (minus 338,000 cars)
• A1 ASt. Steyr: 6.31 million cars (minus 287,000 cars)
• A8 Krenglbach: 5.40 million cars (minus 139,000 cars)
• A1 Sattledt: 5.16 million cars (minus 293,000 cars)
• A25 Marchtrenk: 5.14 million cars (minus 187,000 cars)
• A25 Wels: 4.93 million cars (minus 205,000 cars)
• A8 Niederndorf: 4.05 million cars (plus 9,000 cars)
• A7 Gallneukirchen: 3.45 million cars (minus 231,000 cars)
• A9 Schölldorf: 3.0 million cars (minus 144,000 cars)

Still too much traffic
For the VCÖ, however, there is still room for improvement when it comes to the decrease: “Even though traffic has decreased on many routes, traffic pressure is still very high. Noise and pollutants are harmful to the health of residents and the high CO2 emissions are a burden on the environment and the climate,” says Schündiger.