More bikes in Vienna

05 Apr, 2012

Vienna’s Green Party wants to improve conditions for bicyclists in the city. One of the party’s suggestions is that the federal law should be changed that restricts bicycles to special lanes wherever they are available.

The Greens, which are in coalition with the Social Democrat Party (SPÖ) in the city government, would like to see some areas of Vienna give precedence to bicycles over cars and permit cyclists to go against the traffic on one-way streets. This year the party also has plans to add another 20 kms to the existing cycle network to make a total of 1,220 kms.

More Viennese are taking to bicycles because of the increasing price of petrol, insurance and maintenance of private vehicles. It is estimated that about 50 per cent of households now own a bike. Sales of electrical bikes are also rising, up from 20,000 in 2010 to 30,000 in 2011.