No protective route

“I worry about my daughter every day”

Renate Flucher has been riding her tricycle to work at Retzhof for ten years.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

A father in Wagna, Styria, sees the life of his disabled daughter at risk: every day on her way to work, the 57-year-old has to cross a road where cars whizz past at 70 km/h. She is on her tricycle. She herself is on a tricycle - but despite years of effort, the chances of a protective path are slim.

Renate Flucher's day starts at 6.30 in the morning. After breakfast with her family, a daily challenge awaits her: the journey to work.

The 57-year-old has been employed at the Bildungshaus Retzhof in Wagna for ten years. Although her workplace is only one and a half kilometers away, it takes her over half an hour to get there on her tricycle. "I always set off five to half past seven," says the Styrian. "I often have to wait ten or 15 minutes to cross the road."

At this point, Renate Flucher has to cross the B67 to get from Feldgasse to Dorfstraße.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

This is the Grazer Straße (B67) in the south-western Styrian market town. Cars drive along here at 70 km/h and there are no structural measures for pedestrians and cyclists. Renate's father, Wilhelm Flucher, worries about her every day: "My daughter is slightly disabled. I always say to her, please look right and left - she then often waits a very long time and drivers following behind scold her," explains the pensioner.

Wilhelm Flucher has already presented several traffic concepts.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Four years ago, the committed father began campaigning for a crosswalk and a footpath and cycle path. But so far without success. The problem: "Cyclists are naturally outnumbered by motorists."

Even on that Tuesday morning, countless cars sped past the Flucher family - they counted 845 per hour. Flucher has already approached the local authority, the state, the relevant departments and even the Ministry of Transport with his suggestions on how to make the journey to work safer.

Initiative received 211 signatures
Because he felt that he was not being listened to by the authorities, the 79-year-old went to collect signatures in March of this year. His initiative found over 200 supporters in the neighborhood and he proudly presented them to the mayor of Wagna. However, Peter Stradner (SPÖ) argued: "Federal and provincial roads are not our responsibility, which is why we cannot discuss the initiative in the municipal council." However, he has great sympathy for Flucher and his daughter. "We are very happy to respond to feasible ideas," says the mayor.

For this reason, he forwarded Flucher's request to the state. And Stradner actually got things rolling: the junction is due to be rebuilt in 2025, a traffic planner has already been commissioned, and a left-turn lane and a footpath are planned. "But a safety lane is not approved in the 70," says the mayor. "There are already crosswalks on the same road," counters Flucher. But the counter-argument is that these were built a long time ago.

Flucher is not satisfied with this: "That's far too little. We shouldn't wait a single day to provide a crosswalk," he says with unwavering determination.