From next summer, Austrian municipalities will be able to decide independently and more easily the maximum speed allowed on their territory. With the possibility of introducing the 30 km/h limit if they deem it necessary. In recent days, the amendment to the Austrian Highway Code was presented in Vienna which “will make it easier for mayors to develop and implement customized solutions at a local level”, as stated Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. Referring to 30 per hour, Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler he underlined: «Slower speeds mean greater safety and quality of life for the local population». According to the same minister, “reducing speed leads to fewer victims in road accidents, emissions harmful to the climate, less noise pollution, and saves citizens thanks to lower fuel consumption.”
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner
Last year on the roads of Austrian towns approximately 15,000 road accidents occurred with 80 deaths. Until now, local authorities could already decide to reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h instead of 50 kilometers per hour, but this entailed a series of bureaucratic obstacles and an enormous number of assessments, which took a very long time. From the coming summer, municipalities will therefore be able to make their own decisions regarding the territory in a simplified way, especially where there is a particular need for protection, such as in front of schools, kindergartens, recreational facilities and playgrounds, hospitals and homes. rest. The condition is that the measure is useful for increasing road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. «Where situations require it, not for the sake of it», underlined Karner.
The reform of the Austrian traffic code also provides that the control of speed limits by territorial authorities is simplified: in agreement with the State they will be able to carry out checks directly with speed cameras, until now they could only do so if they had their own municipal police force. According to the Interior Minister, this should also reduce the police workload. Austrian municipalities will also have the possibility to decide on the so-called “school streets”, which have already existed in Alto Adige since the 1980s, and which are already a reality in some large Austrian cities, from Vienna to Graz and Salzburg. In practice these are streets near nursery and primary schools which are completely closed to traffic – except for emergency services and residents who must however drive at walking pace – at defined times, normally during entry and exit hours. leaving schools to allow children to move around safely.