In Purkersdorf (District of St. Pölten), the municipal council recently decided that the short-term parking zone, which has been in place since May, will be extended for the first time next year. The streets Herrengasse, Hardt-Stremayr-Gasse, Bad-Säckingen-Straße and Pfarrhofgasse will then also belong to the new “Green Zone”. Parking is free for the first three hours, following that the cost will be two euros per hour. There should also be day tickets.
People who live in Purkersdorf, i.e. residents, but also entrepreneurs and permanent employees, can apply for a flat-rate parking fee of 35 euros per year. “We didn’t make the decision easy for ourselves, we even commissioned our own working group and were in constant contact with the authorities of the state of Lower Austria,” explains Mayor Stefan Steinbichler (SPÖ) in a broadcast from the municipality.
Extensions in Vösendorf and Langenzersdorf
Also in Vösendorf (Mödling district) additional short-term parking zones will be created, for example in the Haidfeldsiedlung. According to the municipal office, there are problems with company cars that are parked in the settlement. However, it is still unclear when the new parking regulations will apply. One possibility is to come into force at the beginning of the year. The corresponding signs have already been put up, but are still covered because the short-term parking zone does not yet apply.
The short-term parking zones in Langenzersdorf (District Korneuburg). A month ago, the situation was assessed and improved here and there on a small scale, says Deputy Mayor Josef Waygand (ÖVP). Due to suggestions from the population, revisions are still planned. “The situation is relatively relaxed,” says Waygand. The short-term parking zones seem to be a good solution, as the majority of citizens would be happy with them.
Changes in Schwechat and Zwölfaxing
In Schwechat (District Bruck an der Leitha) are also pending changes in the coming months. Originally, the situation was not to be evaluated once more until spring, but now “something will happen soon,” reports city press spokesman Dejan Mladenov. How exactly the adjustments will look like is not yet known. This will be decided at a council meeting in December.
Because of the short-term parking zones in Schwechat, there is also parking in the nearby Zwölfaxing (Bruck an der Leitha district) worked on a solution because many would park their cars here – still free of charge – the responsible municipal office informs. A working group consisting of local councilors has been entrusted with the task. There are no details yet.
Satisfaction in Gerasdorf and Brunn am gebirge
In Gerasdorf (District Korneuburg) and Well in the mountains (Mödling district), on the other hand, is satisfied with the current situation and sees no need for change. Also in Perchtoldsdorf (Mödling district) “the current short-term parking zone regulation (following the expansion in September, note) remains as it is,” explains a spokeswoman for the community. However, the situation is being monitored so that measures can be taken if necessary.
The short-term parking zone in Gerasdorf was only introduced at the end of April to gather experience from Vienna. According to Mayor Alexander Vojta (SPÖ), the focus was on certain hotspots and the concept worked. The goal has been achieved, the residents can park for free with a special permit.
The short-term parking zone in Brunn am gebirge has been in effect since March and was only expanded in September. This way you got the situation under control, says Mayor Andreas Linhart (SPÖ). “There are no complaints from the population,” said the politician. And that is exactly what he sees as the yardstick for the good functioning of the system.
“The whole place as a short-term parking zone is short-sighted”
Criticism of the “short-term parking zone solution”, on the other hand, comes from the ÖAMTC. From a technical point of view, it is not optimal because hard limits would be created, explains ÖAMTC traffic expert Matthias Nagler. “The criticism relates to Vienna’s short-term parking zone itself, because it has no steering effects and the parked vehicles are not distributed intelligently in the city.” That would be because the short-term parking zones in Vienna are the same everywhere and the same rules would apply everywhere.
However, Nagler points out that the short-term parking zones in the municipalities bordering Vienna in Lower Austria have an impact on those municipal citizens. If you apply for a free exemption, you still have to pay for the processing operations. Guests of residents are also bound by the maximum permitted parking time. “Operating an entire place as a short-term parking zone is short-sighted,” summarizes the expert.
