What began with an appeal as part of a campaign with creatively designed signs in the Vienna part of the Lobau has expanded into a veritable dispute on the Donau-Au in Lower Austria. Experts see the sensitive area being overrun by bikers, who are calling for the supposedly new cycling ban to be lifted. The “crown” explains the background.
“Suddenly, officially valid no-driving signs were installed everywhere. Many cyclists in the Groß-Enzersdorf region have been locked out of large parts of the Au, so to speak,” says “Krone” reader Annemarie Berthold displeasure. She is annoyed that there have already been police penalties: “Where we used to be able to cycle, we are suddenly no longer allowed to ride. Nobody knows anymore.” The same can be heard in the cadastral district of Mühlleiten, where the petition “Cycling ban on the Lower Lobau” has already received 7750 signatures against the road closures. “Things got out of hand” Clarification of the matter comes from both the National Park Administration and the forestry operations of the City of Vienna. The signage of the prohibited zones has now been improved – but only after even friendly appeals from supervisory bodies of the Au administration have escalated in some cases. “Things got out of hand. The bans have been in effect since the zoning plan was drawn up in 1997. But many were not aware of it,” confirms the responsible deputy head of department, Alexander Mrkvicka, of the intensified actions. Biking has already reached proportions that are no longer bearable for fauna and flora. The Lobau cycle network covers a total of 31 kilometers anyway: In comparison to similar protected areas, the national park is extremely generous when it comes to leisure opportunities . And often you can only get to the Eurovelo cycle path in the direction of Vienna via detours,” is the opinion of the Groß-Enzersdorf town hall that some sections of the ban on driving should be lifted. Confronted by the “Krone” with the arguments of the residents in and around Groß-Enzersdorf, the deputy head of the natural area department of the forestry companies of the city of Vienna is ready to talk: “We are open to a dialogue.” solve overnight by means of a signature petition, because: “Since the lower Lobau, in contrast to the Vienna section, is dedicated as a quiet zone, you have to look at the matter here in detail,” argues forestry expert Mrkvicka. Enjoy your tours here exclusively on the green-marked cycle paths Drive on sight Reduce your speed – leisurely cycling instead of racing in the protected area Always be considerate of other guests who also use the paths Watch out for small animals on the path – i.e. insects, snakes, amphibians etc.-, so as not to run over them No driving at night – adventure tours with a headlamp in the protected area are taboo for the benefit of the animal world Take your rubbish back with you Note that there may be short-term road closures due to flooding – otherwise it can be dangerous Never drive in a storm – danger of branches breaking off! Leisure wave overruns the Donau-AuenSo there will still be a lot of water flowing down the Danube before an agreement is reached. Because the statistics also speak for the nature conservation experts. These bring not only a change in leisure time behavior into play, but also the development of the population: in the last 20 years, the population of Groß-Enzersdorf has increased by 45 percent, that of the 22nd district by a whopping 48 percent. . .
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