Vice Chancellor warns

“Lower Austria must do more to protect the soil!”

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler visited the "Krone" newspaper in St. Pölten - with words of warning for Lower Austria.(Bild: Attila Molnar)

How Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler envisions the future of Lower Austria as a "commuter state", why the railroad alone cannot be a solution - and under what conditions he himself, as a Green, is in favor of new roads.

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler has praise for Lower Austria: "The cooperation between the emergency organizations and authorities during the flood disaster has been excellent." The Green Party member is relying on rapid assistance, which was already presented on Wednesday, and says: "In such cases, federalism can often be a good thing, because the federal states are closer and help can be provided quickly on the ground."

For "sensible" road projects
Apart from this, he hopes that soil sealing in Lower Austria will continue to decrease. He recalls that the ÖVP and the Greens jointly canceled the construction of the Waldviertel freeway, for example. However, far too much is still being built on. Kogler: "We are certainly in favor of sensible road gap closures. But the senseless concreting over must come to an end."

Lower Austria would also receive "a correspondingly higher share" in a distribution formula for moderate soil sealing due to the size of the federal state. However, the Vice-Chancellor considers "the long-term protection of the particularly fertile fields in the state" to be important. This would also ensure a secure food supply.

Not every place has a railroad
At the same time, Kogler is focusing on the further expansion of public transport lines. "I know that Lower Austria is a commuter state. And we are aware that not every town can have a train line. But rail, bus, shared cabs and even bikes can make a good combination," he says in an interview with Krone. Better intervals, the preservation of the climate ticket and social justice in commuter assistance are also needed. Kogler's wish for Lower Austria: "Greater efforts in nature and soil protection!"