New parking shortage:

Parking lot at Preiner Gscheid loses 80 spaces

Many hikers and winter sports enthusiasts start their tour to the Rax at the parking lot at Preiner Gscheid. However, there have been 80 fewer parking spaces here since 1 January, as there is currently no agreement with the private owner and the municipality of Neuberg an der Mürz.(Bild: Doris SEEBACHER)

The spacious parking lot at Preiner Gscheid - the starting point for ski tours and hikes to the Karl-Ludwig-Haus - will lose almost half of its spaces on January 1st. Solutions are being worked on. The parking lot is often hopelessly overcrowded, especially in summer. 

The large parking lot at Preiner Gscheid, a popular starting point for hikes or ski tours to the Waxriegelhaus or Karl-Ludwig-Haus, will lose 80 parking spaces in one fell swoop. The reason: they are privately owned and may no longer be used since January 1st. "The lease agreement between the private owner and the municipality of Neuberg was not extended," explains Christian Blazek from the Semmering-Rax-Schneeberg tourism association. This concerns the left-hand part of the parking lot area, which already belongs to Styria. 

Especially when the weather is nice at the weekend, the parking lot at Preiner Gscheid is already full in the late morning.(Bild: Barbara Winkler)

"Not a problem in winter," says Blazek, because the right-hand section with around 100 parking spaces is sufficient. In summer, however, things could get tight. That's when 40 parking spaces are removed because the space is needed as a turning area for the buses that run between Easter and All Saints' Day. And then things could get tight up there on the mountain. The parking spaces were already quite full, if not overcrowded, on nice weekends in the morning. 

The left-hand section of the parking lot is already in Styria, is privately owned and can no longer be used by hikers and winter sports enthusiasts. There could be a shortage of parking spaces in summer.(Bild: ZVG Tourismusverband Semmering-Rax-Schneeberg)

"We are working on solutions," promises Blazek, referring to parking spaces along the road in the direction of Styria. And to the on-call bus, which can be ordered at any time and picks up excursionists from Reichenau station or other stations and takes them up to the top of the pass. 

Parking on the road on the Lower Austrian side is not permitted. 

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