Graz push

“Pedestrian protection zone” – ÖVP declares war on cyclists

Dangerous situations between pedestrians and cyclists currently occur time and again in Schmiedgasse.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The Graz People's Party wants to better protect pedestrians in the provincial capital and therefore ban cyclists from several streets in the city center. 

The Graz cycling campaign is currently on everyone's lips. New cycle paths are currently being built in almost every nook and cranny of the Mur metropolis - almost always at the expense of motorized private transport, meaning that car drivers are gradually being pushed out of the city centre. A fact that has been heavily criticized by the Graz People's Party in particular. Now the tables are being turned, so to speak. In order to better protect pedestrians, cyclists are to disappear from many streets and several squares. At the municipal council meeting on Thursday, club leader Daniela Gmeinbauer will therefore submit a motion to the responsible deputy mayor Judith Schwentner (Greens) to implement a "pedestrian protection zone".

Number of accidents increased by 31 percent
"It is a fact that the potential for conflict increases as soon as cyclists and pedestrians share an area," says Gmeinbauer. She points out that, according to Statistics Austria, the number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists increased by 31 percent between 2013 and 2022. The danger is further exacerbated by motorized scooters, which even drive on sidewalks in Graz and repeatedly endanger pedestrians and cyclists.

ÖVP city party leader Kurt Hohensinner and club leader Daniela Gmeinbauer also want to make Hans-Sachs-Gasse bike-free.(Bild: ÖVP)

"In Graz, however, milestones such as the Neutorviertel or the Ring cycle path are being completed without appropriate measures for pedestrians," criticizes Gmeinbauer. She therefore calls for the creation of a "real zone for safe walking in the city center". In addition to Schmiedgasse (which will be bike-free anyway when Neutorgasse opens), she is also calling for Stubenberggasse, Hans-Sachs-Gasse, Sporgasse, Hauptplatz, Tummelplatz, Bischofsplatz and Färberplatz to become pedestrian zones. "The aim is to ensure that pedestrians can linger unencumbered."