It is around 100 meters long and leads from Wolfauerstrasse up to the horse promenade and to the church of St. Magdalena: the Hofbauerstiege.
The connecting route is popular with walkers and runners, but a major issue is the poor lighting on the path. Currently there are only three lampposts (one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of the stairs) along the curved path. The risk of tripping and falling in the dark is high, and there are also other safety concerns among residents. This became clear during a local inspection on Tuesday later in the followingnoon.
“The poorly lit steps are a great danger for seniors,” says Gottfried Hoser, who is not the only one who sees a need for action. “It feels uneasy, especially for women, to use the stairs alone,” Theresa Ganhör would also like to see better lighting. The regional manager of the OÖVP women avoids or bypasses the stairs in the dark – preferably with an e-scooter.
“Practical and environmentally friendly”
The residents’ desire for more light is not new; it has been around for years. But now this might soon come true. This is made possible with the new lighting project that the deputy mayor Martin Hajart (VP), who is responsible for street lighting, recently launched. Linz residents can report places via email (more on this below) where they are dissatisfied with the lighting situation. The clear goal, as Hajart emphasized on Tuesday, is to reduce areas of fear and danger.
The Hofbauerstiege in St. Magdalena is one of the reports received; the Public Lighting and Traffic Technology Department has now developed a concept for this connecting route that is unique to Linz. Around 80 LED lights will be installed in the handrail, and all of the cabling will also be routed above it. This means there is no need to erect masts or carry out excavation work in the impassable terrain. “We have found a way that is practical, visually beautiful and environmentally friendly,” says department head Christian Humer.
Implementation planned for this year
How much the implementation of the project will cost is currently unclear, as is the exact implementation date. In any case, this should be this year, said Hajart.
There is great joy among the residents regarding this announcement: Laura Ganhör spoke of a “great initiative”, Gerhard Hochreiter was impressed by the “technically great solution” for direct staircase lighting. “This is an important step towards more safety,” said Moritz Strachon, who was also pleased. With the realization of the planned project, he can then forgo illuminating the path in the dark with a flashlight on his cell phone – just as some others can leave their flashlights at home.
25 messages already existed, but not all of them fall under the city’s responsibility. In addition to the Hofbauerstiege, the Volksgarten was mentioned (a solution for this is being developed with the city center concept). People from Linz can submit their suggestions at [email protected]; according to Hajart, further inspections are planned.
Inquired:
Image: private
“This direct stair lighting is a technically great thing, especially for older people who no longer have it
see so well. I can only support that.” – Gerhard Hochreiter, local resident
Image: private
“The lighting is a great initiative, it really takes away a fearful space. It is also dangerous to injure yourself if you fall.” – Laura Ganhör, resident
Image: private
“This is an important step towards greater safety, the route is extremely popular. In the dark you always need the flashlight on your cell phone on the stairs.” – Moritz Strachon, local resident
Image: private
“With this form of LED lighting, an attractive and environmentally conscious solution was found for the Hofbauer staircase.” – Martin Hajart, Vice Mayor (VP)
Author
Julia Popovsky
Editor Linzer Nachrichten
Julia Popovsky
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