New "Alko limits" fixed

Hanke bans e-mopeds from the cycle path onto the road

Hanke's amendment will come as early as 2026.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl, ROLAND SCHLAGER)

The Ministry of Transport is now mobilizing against e-moped speeders on cycle paths and for a helmet requirement for e-scooters and e-bike riders as well as traffic calming in city centres. SPÖ Minister Peter Hanke has now presented a collective amendment that will become "roadworthy" as early as next year. Alcohol limits will also be lowered.

One amendment to the road traffic regulations, but thousands of beneficiaries on our pavements and cycle paths. This is roughly the formula of the SPÖ Transport Minister Peter Hanke, who will present his reform on Thursday.

The draft of the planned collective amendment is now entering a six-week review phase. It includes measures to calm traffic in Austria's inner cities, new provisions that will ban e-moped speeders from cycle paths in future and provisions to make e-scooter drivers safer in traffic.

E-mopeds are no longer considered bicycles
Desired by large sections of the urban population and already announced in the summer, "e-mopeds", which are currently considered bicycles according to the StVO, are now to be transferred to the Motor Vehicles Act and thus shifted to the roads. They will therefore be considered motor vehicles in future, which will entail a number of obligations. These include: compulsory registration (number plate), compulsory insurance, compulsory driving license and compulsory crash helmet. In order to make the new regulations more compatible for those affected, they will not come into force until October 1, 2026.

Hanke's amendment will come into force in 2026.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl, ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Camera comes into use
A clear legal framework will also be created from May 2026 for the use of camera-based systems for traffic calming in municipalities. In future, it will be possible to monitor entry and driving bans for multi-lane vehicles in a defined area as part of automated access management.

However, camera-based monitoring of bus lanes, footpaths and cycle paths or pedestrian zones as an independent measure ("stand-alone solution") will not be permitted - with the exception of so-called school streets, where special importance is attached to traffic calming for the benefit of schoolchildren. 

Per mille value to be reduced
From May 2026, greater clarity and safety in road traffic will also apply to all those using e-scooters and e-bikes. "In future, e-scooters will be clearly defined as vehicles - no longer as small vehicles. In addition, clear behavioral and equipment regulations will be included in the draft," according to the red Ministry of Mobility.

The following will apply to e-scooters from May 1, 2026 No carrying of people or goods, a helmet requirement up to the age of 16, as well as a requirement to be fitted with indicators and a bell. In addition, the blood alcohol limit will be lowered from 0.8 to 0.5 per mille. In future, e-bike riders up to the age of 14 will be required to wear a helmet. 

With this reform, we are now bringing the Road Traffic Act into the 21st century and doing justice to the new forms of mobility. This serves road safety and the quality of life of all Austrians!

SPÖ-Verkehrsminister Peter Hanke

"The Highway Code is the set of rules in which we determine how we interact with each other on the roads. In recent decades, however, new forms of mobility have emerged that pose a danger to themselves and others in many places. The Highway Code has not yet kept pace with these developments, and it is now time to make up for this," concludes Hanke.