District Eferding: Beautifier for car ownership and mobility challenges

District Eferding: Beautifier for car ownership and mobility challenges

The district of Eferding is the place in Upper Austria with the highest number of car owners, according to a new analysis of the Austria traffic club (VCÖ). This evaluation is based on data from statistics Austria and shows a clear gap between urban and rural areas with regard to motorization.

In the Eferding district, there are a proud 698 passenger car per 1,000 inhabitants. For comparison: In the city of Linz, this value is only 502 cars. The district of Grieskirchen also follows just behind Eferding with 691 vehicles. These figures illustrate a growing imbalance in access to mobility, whereby the less motorized urban areas benefit from a more comprehensive public transport offer.

public transport and mobility

The discrepancy in the numbers is explained, among other things, by expanding public transport. The VCÖ emphasizes the need to improve the range of public transport in rural regions. This is considered a major challenge, but there is potential how the specialist events on the future of public transport show.

Michael Schwendinger, an expert from the VCÖ, explains that, with the exception of Eisenstadt, the degree of motorization has dropped in all state capitals. Among other things, this is due to a diversified range of mobility that often makes important everyday facilities such as shops, schools and health facilities accessible on foot or by bike. These options give people freedom to select transport and are a decisive factor for using public transport.

• Important aspects called the VCÖ to make public transport more attractive:
• A clock traffic with frequent connections
• offers in the evening and on weekends
• Optimal links with national train connections
• Information and motivation for the population to use the offer

In addition, the expansion of bike paths in regions such as Eferding is a central point to reduce the dependency on the car. Many everyday paths are shorter than ten kilometers, which makes it easier to switch to bicycles. In particular, the increasing numbers of electric bicycles could replace many car rides if the necessary secure cycling infrastructures are available.

The analysis of the VCÖ shows that improving public transport and the expansion of bike paths are strategic measures that could increase the quality of life in rural regions such as the Eferding district while the dependency on the car is reduced. For a deeper assessment of this topic, we refer to the detailed information by www.tips.at .