Mayor Takes Action

Alcohol-free zones are now being expanded

Westbahnhof is considered a hotspot for drug dealing and violent crime. Many Viennese feel unsafe there—especially after dark.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Schiel)

New measures are intended to make public spaces in Vienna safer. A ban on alcohol consumption is coming to Westbahnhof. The city and law enforcement are focusing particularly on the area along the U6. Changes are also expected around Gumpendorfer Straße.

The city is now significantly expanding its measures against public alcohol consumption. In the future, an alcohol ban will also apply at and around Westbahnhof. With this, City Hall aims to respond to increasing complaints about noise pollution, littering, and safety-related incidents in this hotspot area. The ban is set to take effect as early as May 8, 2026.

Westbahnhof is also repeatedly the scene of violent altercations. A uniformed police presence is intended to ease the security situation on site.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Mario Urbantschitsch)

The situation along the U6 line is to be sustainably improved
Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) presented the new measures together with State Police President Gerhard Pürstl on Monday morning at City Hall. He emphasized the “good and consistent cooperation between the City of Vienna and the Vienna Police.”

Westbahnhof is considered a hotspot for drug trafficking and violent crime. Many Viennese feel unsafe there—especially after dark.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Schiel)

“These measures are necessary to prevent acts of violence, strengthen the public’s subjective sense of safety, and enable the police to intervene quickly and effectively,” emphasized Provincial Police Chief Gerhard Pürstl. 

We are pooling our resources, coordinating continuously, and acting together in the interest of the Viennese. Because safety is created where everyone pulls together.

Bürgermeister Michael Ludwig (SPÖ)

There is a high probability of a displacement effect. After all, it is only 600 meters as the crow flies between Westbahnhof and the Gumpendorfer Straße subway station. It is another 600 meters to the Margaretengürtel U4 station. There, too, drugs are already being dealt openly in broad daylight in front of passersby and students—as we reported.

“There will be a displacement effect to some extent,” Ludwig admits. To counter this, there are plans for increased police patrols in the area, including across district lines, as well as more social workers.

Mayor Michael Ludwig and Vienna Police Chief Gerhard Pürstl(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Will the Central Station be the next no-alcohol zone?
Could even more alcohol-free zones be on the way? For example, at the Central Station, where there are already plenty of complaints and a growing sense of insecurity? The mayor is keeping his cards close to his chest on this matter for now. He says the measures must “always be viewed and evaluated individually.”

Calls for video surveillance are now also coming from Floridsdorf for Franz-Jonas-Platz, where an alcohol ban has been in effect for a year and a half. “We’re looking into it,” Ludwig promises. But that’s not all. New measures have also been announced for the notorious area around the U6 station Gumpendorfer Straße

The situation around Gumpendorfer Straße has deteriorated significantly in recent years.(Bild: zVg)

A protection zone is now being established in the area of Fritz-Imhoff-Park. But what does that mean? To ensure that parks, playgrounds, and public transportation hubs can be used by everyone without restriction and safely, protection zones can be established around particularly sensitive areas in accordance with Section 36a of the Security Police Act, officials say. The goal: to provide special protection for minors and to combat the entrenched drug trade there in the long term.

Park closures, more police, and more frequent cleaning
The fact that measures and further steps are urgently needed in the Mariahilf neighborhood is particularly evident now that temperatures are rising. After all, life is increasingly shifting back outdoors. Already, the Gumpendorfer Straße station is the only one in the Wiener Linien network with permanent security posts. One to two teams are on site daily during peak hours.

The mobile police work container is intended to facilitate on-site operations, as the nearest inspection point is quite a distance away. Benches in the station area have been relocated or removed entirely. Cleaning and landscaping schedules around Gumpendorfer Gürtel and Westbahnhof have been revised and are now being carried out by MA 42 and MA 48 at the “highest frequency.” Incidentally, for greater safety, Imhoff Park was recently fenced off and closed at night—as we reported. 

There are currently two specific alcohol-free zones in public spaces in Vienna. The best-known zones are located at Praterstern (since 2018) and, since February 2025, at Franz-Jonas-Platz in Floridsdorf.