Unofficial politics

Old concept warmed up again in Salzburg

The red-green-pink alliance decided on the Neutorsperre in 2019 and was punished in the election.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

By saying no to the S-Link, the city did not want a renewal. Now plans that have already failed are being served up as a solution. There are still no really new ideas for Salzburg.

The Neutor and its closure as a neuralgic traffic junction in Salzburg's old town comes up again every year as a political issue. What was particularly interesting, however, was the approach taken by those involved in February 2019, when the then deputy mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) and former city councillor Lukas Rösslhuber (Neos) fulfilled the political life wish of the then city councillor Johann Padutsch (Citizens' List) and decided to block the road as a three-party alliance. Against the will of the People's Party and Mayor Harald Preuner. The result: in the election a few weeks later, the alliance was punished, the People's Party emerged as the clear winner and Preuner clearly defeated Auinger in the run-off election for mayor - a real referendum, so to speak.

The failure from 2019 could now turn out to be a good thing for Auinger. This year, he was elected mayor because of his stance against the S-Link - actually also a decades-old project - and can now implement the measure that cost him the election five years ago. Now, however, transport councillor Anna Schiester (Citizens' List) has to tackle measures that are particularly unpopular with motorists. The temporary closure of the Neutor will be the first step anyway due to the construction site of the Festspielhaus. Schiester has already said that she would like to keep it in place afterwards. That would be the situation in 2019, but she did not mention the alternative traffic that would be caused by a closure via Mülln and Lehen. This discussion will flare up again.

She would also not be averse to a gondola project if it would be of any benefit. Provincial Councillor Hans Mayr (Team Stronach) already had this idea - as of 2017. There are many more examples.