"Soft start" on vacation

No chaos (yet) due to car-free main square

An unusual sight at rush hour: no cars meandering towards Donaulände.(Bild: MaRu)

Yesterday was the first working day on the main square, which was freed from through traffic - as expected, without any major incidents. There was no traffic chaos due to the fall vacations. Nevertheless, traders in Klosterstraße are not yet entirely enthusiastic about the new regulations. 

During the day, tourists in particular strolled around the Holy Trinity Column in pleasant temperatures and sunshine, without even noticing that there were no cars. And at rush hour, when vehicles usually jam up coming from Klosterstraße towards Donaulände, it was an unusual sight to see only cyclists - but there was no traffic chaos. However, VP Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart had already predicted this: "We're just doing a 'soft start', after the fall vacations you will certainly feel the whole thing sooner."

Closure for two weeks
The fact that hardly any drivers ignored the new regulations was also due to the fact that a barrier, including security, was set up in Klosterstraße at Landhaus level for the next two weeks. The lady from the security staff didn't get bored, in an interview with the "Krone" she revealed: "Some didn't know about it yet, others wanted to try it anyway. But all the drivers were friendly and turned around with understanding."

A security service will be "guarding" the new pedestrian zone for the next two weeks(Bild: MaRu)

Pedestrian zone only the first step
The traders in Klosterstraße spoke of mixed feelings during the "Krone" site inspection. On the one hand, they like the fact that there are no longer so many cars speeding past their stores, but on the other hand, some of them are afraid of being left behind, as nothing has yet been done to make the street more attractive.

The traffic officer is aware of the problem: "Using the public good is far too expensive, we have to change that."