Lobau car in front of that? Experts are demanding sustainable alternatives!

Lobau car in front of that? Experts are demanding sustainable alternatives!

In the focus of transport policy, the controversial lobau highway is: The Green politician Lukas Hammer decides the cancellation of this project from the Federal Roads Act to create a more environmentally friendly and future-oriented transport infrastructure. In a comprehensive environmental report, created by experts from the Federal Environment Agency as well as the universities of Graz and Vienna, it is stated that there are better alternatives to the previous motorway concept. "The report clearly shows that there are alternatives that are not only better for the environment, but can also better manage future mobility challenges," emphasizes Hammer. Instead, he proposes to force the expansion of rail freight transport and local public transport, as well as to intensify measures for traffic control in order to achieve a positive impact on climate and traffic safety.

At the same time, legal questions remain unclear: According to an expert opinion from legal experts, the cancellation of the praise tunnel by the Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler is not so easy, despite the demands for their deletion. "In this respect, it is an authorization standard from which no obligation can be derived," explains right -wing expert Dragana Damjanovic from the Vienna University of Technology. Although the city of Vienna is planning to build a city road, there are considerable doubts as to whether the praise tunnel can really be rejected, since its determination is anchored in the Federal Reasons Act. Constitutional lawyer Peter Bußjäger notes that there is no doubt that the minister must adhere to certain legal requirements.

The political tensions increase

The current situation ensures tensions between Viennese city representatives and the federal government. Traffic city councilor Ulli Sima (SPÖ) deals with the planning of the city road in the Donaustadt, which is considered necessary to relieve old town centers and open up urgently needed urban expansion areas. Sima and her Lower Austrian counterpart Ludwig Schleritzko (ÖVP) show vehement criticism of Gewessler's projects and emphasize the urgency of these infrastructural projects for the entire eastern region. The traffic situation could exacerbate if the praise tunnel should actually not be built, which could have fatal consequences for transit traffic via the already heavily loaded southeast tangent (A23). According to estimates, the number of vehicles on this important traffic artery could increase to up to 260,000 per day.

Development remains tense because experts and politicians continue to struggle for the course of transport. The determination of the Greens could affect a hard legal dispute, while at the same time the questions of mobility and environmental awareness in the capital are becoming increasingly pressing. For further details about the situation and the legal background, we refer to the reporting of The press .