Parking lot chaos

Tourers will have to pay in Zederhaus in future

Athletes will soon have to pay for parking on the ski tour in the Großkessel near Zederhaus.(Bild: Uwe Grinzinger)

In the Corona winter of 2020/21, avalanches of cars lead into the Zederhaus district of Wald. Winter sports enthusiasts parked in every free space. Getting through was out of the question for days on end. The municipality promised a remedy, examined the situation and announced parking space management for athletes for the new year.

Winter sports enthusiasts have literally stormed the Riedingtal in Lungau in recent years. Up to 1000 ski tourers - and their cars - have been on the move here on some winter days. The parking lot in the Zederhaus district of Wald was usually full early in the morning. The rush reached its peak in the coronavirus winter of 2020/21. There was no getting through for local residents and emergency services. The municipality had to intervene. Mayor Thomas Kößler (ÖVP) promised to take care of the matter.

A picture from days gone by: residents and emergency services were sometimes unable to get through.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

With the upcoming turn of the year, there will not only be a parking ban from the highway exit to Wald, but also a fee for the two parking lots. Tourers will then have to pay eight euros per day. "This is just a test run. But we will monitor it," says Kößler. The snow clearing of the parking spaces and the maintenance of the toilet facilities will be financed with the fees.

The municipality will also record the number of cars and display this on a board at the highway exit. If necessary, the road into the valley will also be closed if there is too much traffic, says Kößler.