Walking around Vienna

Ahead of next year's international conference on pedestrian traffic, Walk 21, to be held in Vienna in October 2015 the city has installed it first map (or so-called information pillar) to promote walking around the city.

The idea is to encourage both residents and tourists to walk not only more often but further and to think of walking as an integral part of public transport.

Walking at present accounts for 30 per cent of mobility in Vienna, but at present only 28 per cent of people walk for more than 2 km, or about 20 minutes at a time.

The prototype information pillar was unveiled in 7th district in Siebenstern Platz and another one will soon be installed close by in the new pedestrian zone of Mariahilfer Strasse.

The pillar provides information on possible walk ways, linking them to public transport stops, bike stations and car sharing points. Distances (both long and short-cuts) are provided with average times from one point to another.

The Siebenstern Platz information pillar has a QR code for anyone wanting to provide feedback for incorporation into future pillars.

Walk21 is an organisation based in England that examines not just the link between walking and health but also the importance of pedestrian traffic in the development of urban spaces and public transport. The 2014 conference is in Sydney and the Walk21 2015 conference will be held in Vienna from 20-23 October 2015, with the theme Stepping Ahead.