Dispute over mobility concept in Mistelbach: The municipal council wrestles for solutions

Dispute over mobility concept in Mistelbach: The municipal council wrestles for solutions

In a heated meeting of the municipal council in Mistelbach, the focus was on a controversial application, which was brought in by the spatial planning city councilor Friedrich Brandstetter (LAB). With the support of a third of the municipal councils, Brandstetter wanted to put the mobility concept on the agenda. However, this initiative was blocked by the environmental city councilor Martina Pürkl (Greens), who then rejects the session template for further advice to the committees. "That's the summit of stupidity!", Brandstetter said outraged by this step.

The mobility concept, which has been developed over the past few years with citizen surveys and by mobility experts, has the goal of making mobility in Mistelbach sustainable by 2024, especially in the context of climate change. Citizens' expressions were taken seriously, and it became clear that there is a high desire for more city greening, expansion of bicycle mobility and reduced car traffic in public space. These needs have been summarized in over 100 measures that should lead to the achievement of the mobility goal.

budget issues and different opinions

The discussion about the mobility concept included not only the planned measures, but also the financial means for implementation. Manfred Reiskopf (SPÖ), the chairman of the road construction committee, emphasized the need for a special budget: "We will not be able to do this from the normal budget." Brandstetter, on the other hand, was convinced that extensive consultations had already taken place in the committees and wanted to emphasize the urgency of the application.

In the local council, however, not all of them were found with Brandstetter's perspective. A coalition of ÖVP, Greens, Neos, FPÖ and several SPÖ municipal councilors voted to send the application back to the committees in order to advise on a more comprehensive framework. Brandstetter found it regrettable that the goals of the mobility concept and not the specific measures were decided, but in the end he was forced to accept the decision. "It is about the goals and not about the measures," Brandstetter tried to convey, but did not successfully accept the desire of the majority. For the citizens concerned, this delay could be braking of the long -awaited changes.