Hopefully the lockdown period is over. But there are still fewer commuters and private individuals driving their cars on our freeways than before the pandemic.
A total of 7.3 percent fewer cars than in 2019 on our motorways: this is shown by a current analysis of Asfinag data from the Austrian Traffic Club for January to April. The largest drop was at the Thörl-Maglern border crossing with 24 percent. Of course, the strict Corona entry regulations to Italy still play a major role here. A2 Pörtschach Ost: 31,800 cars/day (- 6.7%) A2 Velden: 26,600 (- 10.2%) A2 Villach: 22,200 (- 8, 3%) A2 Klagenfurt North: 22,900 (- 3.4%) A10 Spittal an der Drau: 18,100 (- 2.7%) A2 St. Andrä im Lavanttal: 16,900 (- 8.0%) A11 St. Ulrich: 10,200 (- 3.3 %) A2 Thörl-Maglern: 5,100 (- 24.0 %) Less commuting traffic But other reasons are decisive for the decline on the A2, the most heavily used autobahn in Carinthia. The commuters to and from Klagenfurt in particular make up a large part of the car traffic. During the lockdowns, the majority of them stayed at home at all, and not all of them are traveling by car again. And then came the huge jump in prices for petrol and diesel. In mid-March, petrol was almost 60 percent more expensive than in March 2019. This makes alternatives much more attractive and also necessary. Attractive alternatives for commuters The VCÖ is in favor of more train and bus connections and better company offers. “In view of the current energy and climate crisis, more measures are needed to reduce traffic congestion. Service improvements should give everyone who wants to switch the opportunity to do so. And for everyone who can already do it today, there is a need for increased incentives and support,” emphasizes VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger. More and more employees come to work on public transport because of incentives such as public transport job tickets. He names the companies Infineon in Villach and Mahle in St. Michael ob Bleiburg as successful Carinthian examples.
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