A prank on citizens

“Car wreck mile”: solution fades away in ÖBB drawer

Although there is less garbage, the car wreck problem remains.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

While local residents despair over illegal car wrecks, garbage and rats on the south side of the viaduct arches in Innsbruck, the landowner ÖBB would have a solution ready. However, this seems to have been forgotten in a drawer - apparently due to internal squabbles.

Our reports about up to 40 illegally "dumped" car wrecks, lots of (bulky) garbage and all kinds of animals (rats) right next to residential buildings in Innsbruck have caused quite a stir. ÖBB, on whose land the abuses are to be deplored, regretted that it was difficult to intervene. They are operating within a narrow legal framework.

A solution concept has been in the drawer for a long time.(Bild: Peter Freiberger)

Well, things are now looking better when it comes to garbage, as ÖBB has had containers set up for the removal of illegally disposed garbage. When it comes to car wrecks, however, almost everything has remained the same.

The concept could be taken out of the drawer immediately and implemented quickly and easily.

Ein Insider

But that doesn't have to be the case, an insider told the Krone newspaper. This is because a solution concept for the vexing problem of the viaduct arches between Bienerstraße and the former slaughterhouse had already been developed internally by ÖBB in 2021.

This envisages offering the individual tenants in the arches - from restaurants to craft businesses - the aforementioned land on the south side as a parking area. The offer also extended to the residents of the ÖBB apartment buildings opposite. The potential parking space tenants were contacted, and the responses documented strong interest - also because the rent would have been in the range of a resident parking card.

Win-win situation for ÖBB and residents
ÖBB would have generated income and the tenants themselves would probably have ensured that their spaces were not littered - a win-win situation!

The ÖBB private land could easily be rented out to local residents.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

However, nothing came of this promising concept. In the end, it remained in a drawer - where it has been lying dormant for years. "It could be taken out immediately and implemented quickly and easily," emphasizes the insider.

"In fact, we made an attempt to do so a long time ago, but it was not pursued further because the tenants did not provide any consistent feedback or position on the matter," says ÖBB.

Internal disputes as an obstacle?
According to insiders, internal disputes are standing in the way of solving the problem with the car wreck mile.