Many construction sites

Annoying! Grazers are still stuck in traffic jams during the vacations

Traffic jam hotspot Elisabethstraße(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Although the summer brought noticeable relief to the country's traffic jam capital, drivers still need a lot of patience.

Vacation time is construction time - this saying only applies to a limited extent in the Mur metropolis. Because the roads in Graz are dug and built all year round - much to the chagrin of many congested residents and commuters. And in summer, the roadworks slalom is simply prolonged.

The situation in the east of the city is particularly challenging. Despite the lower volume of traffic during the vacations, traffic jams occur time and again, especially on Elisabethstraße, which currently only has one lane of traffic. Public transport passengers and car drivers need a lot of patience here and have to hope for a functioning air conditioning system, which often remains a pious hope, especially in the overcrowded rail replacement service.

The closed Maiffredygasse(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Maifreddygasse and Leonhardstraße closed
The Bim is also taking a break here at the moment - Maifreddygasse and Leonhardstraße are closed due to track work and a redistribution of traffic areas. Business owners keep reporting that customers can't even get into their stores because of the work.

The office of the responsible Deputy Mayor Judith Schwentner (Greens) points out that although there may be temporary obstructions, in principle businesses and homes should always be accessible. The work should be completed by the start of school.

The Opernring(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Drivers on the Opernring and Joanneumring will need to be patient for even longer. As is well known, the cycle path is being widened here, currently only one lane is passable and traffic jams are a recurring problem. Everything should not be ready here until October.

ÖVP relies on congestion hotline
For the ÖVP, which has sworn to be the savior of motorists, this is of course a real boondoggle: "The Kahr coalition has turned traffic into a permanent construction site. But instead of addressing people's worries and concerns, Kahr and Schwentner continue to drive over them", criticizes City Councillor Kurt Hohensinner. The People's Party has therefore set up a traffic jam hotline [phone]), which has registered almost 200 calls since the beginning of January.