Since the authorities did not respond to complaints, the pensioner in Lower Austria built a dummy radar box himself. The 90-year-old refined them over the course of 20 years, until authorities noticed.
For two decades, car and truck drivers fled when they drove too fast through the town of Peygarten-Ottenstein near Rastenfeld in the Krems district and saw its “radar trap”: Johann Widhalm had built it as a “cry for help against the speeding heavy traffic” and the Box has been refined over the years.
Noise from rushing heavy traffic
“Our house walls are a few meters apart. Traffic noise is greatly reflected and amplified. I can’t sleep after four hours,” says the 90-year-old about the suffering he and his neighbors have to endure on the main road. The situation worsened due to more and more heavy transports, requests for help were not heard. Then the idea of self-help arose – with walls of switch boxes placed next to the road.“The trucks braked beforehand”, says the retired EVN employee.
Deceptively real radar box dummy
Shortly afterwards, the experienced hobbyist had set up the so-called “speed camera”. After some back and forth – the road authority didn’t want the box on their property – the deceptively real-looking radar dummy was placed on community property.
“Radar box” pimped with flashlight
In 2013, the box was desolate. Four years later, during repairs, the “radar rebel” pimped it with a flashlight that can be operated with a remote control. In 2020, the authorities are finally involved: “There were complaints about road safety,” explains district governor Günter Stöger. In addition, no complaints about heavy traffic in the office would appear. “The residents are welcome to contact us and we will look into it,” emphasizes Stöger, head of the authority.
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.
