Last part missing

Expropriation is needed for new cycle path after all

Two expropriations were necessary to complete the cycle path in Scharnstein(Bild: © Harald Dostal / 2024)

The final section of the cycle path through the municipality of Scharnstein cannot be built. Two landowners will not provide the necessary land. One owner would lose customer parking spaces. The mayor considers all talks to have failed and now votes in favor of expropriation.

Expropriation is not an issue! That's what Scharnstein's ÖVP mayor and member of parliament Rudolf Raffelsberger said in an interview in May 2023 in connection with the necessary land transfer for the construction of the cycle path through the village.

The turning point came 17 months later: The ÖVP parliamentary group voted in the municipal council to expropriate two landowners so that the last 100 meters of the cycle path could be completed. Thanks to the Greens, there was a majority of 15:10 in the local parliament.

Doubts about public interest
"There must be a public interest for expropriation. It is doubtful whether this is the case with this vote. The two landowners are already considering legal action," says SP Deputy Mayor Max Ebenführer, who is now expecting long legal proceedings. The citizens' initiative "Pro Scharnstein" speaks of a total failure on the part of the mayor. "The construction was started without completing all the necessary land clearances," criticizes spokesman Nikolaus Wührer.

Rudolf Raffelsberger, the mayor of Scharnstein, was caught in the crossfire of criticism.(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Mayor Raffelsberger does not want to know that he has broken his word: "I actually ruled out the expropriations at the time. I hoped that we would be able to hold sensible talks with the landowners and reach an amicable agreement. But no group achieved anything. Now we had to take this step so that we can finish building the cycle path." The safety of cyclists and pedestrians was his top priority. During his 15 years in office, there had never been any expropriations. "It's a stab in the heart," said the head of the town.