LINZ/SALZBURG. Like Linz, Salzburg is a single commuter city. In contrast to Linz, however, the city already has a cyclist share of around 20 percent. Linz mobility officer Martin Hajart found out what Linz can see from Salzburg during a visit to Salzburg.

Deputy Mayor and Mobility Advisor Martin Hajart visited the Salzburg State Councilor for Transport Stefan Schnöll, Salzburg Mayor Harald Preuner and Deputy Mayor and Transport Advisor Barbara Unterkofler to exchange experiences. “Salzburg and Linz are both strong commuter cities. That’s why I decided to find out more on site and to seek talks with those responsible in Salzburg,” said Linz mobility officer Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart. “The city of Salzburg has a network of almost 190 kilometers of cycle paths. Whether shopping in the city center or commuting to work, more than 20 percent of all trips in the city are made by bicycle. This is not only due to the suitable topographical location, which is the result of decades of measures, investments and a lively exchange between town and country. An attractive offer is fundamental in order to persuade people to switch to cycling in the long term!” said Harald Preuner, Mayor of Salzburg.

Salzburg invests

The mobility consultant from Linz is impressed by the joint planning by the city and state of Salzburg, the bicycle lanes in Salzburg’s inner-city area and the Salzburg budget for cycle paths, which is several times the budget in Linz. In order to permanently improve Salzburg’s cycling infrastructure, the city of Salzburg invests two million euros every year in the renovation, improvement and closing of gaps in cycle paths. In contrast, the sum of investments for cycle paths and footpaths in Linz this year is only a quarter of that at 550,000 euros.

Expand the main cycle path network

In both Linz and Salzburg, cooperation between the city and the state is important in order to find future-oriented solutions. “Especially in the transport sector you have to look beyond the city limits, this is also the case in Linz. Salzburg pays particular attention to commuters and the development of cycle routes from the surrounding communities to the city,” says Hajart. As an example, he cites the cycle route in Wals-Siezenheim, where Salzburg would like to encourage commuters to get on their bikes. Such a linking of the urban cycle path network with the national network is also a priority for Hajart: “That’s why an exchange is so important. In contrast to Linz, Salzburg has a cycling strategy that can provide suggestions,” says the Linz mobility officer.

Cooperation between city and country as a model

The declared goal of the city of Salzburg is to increase the proportion of bicycle traffic by 20 percent, starting from an already high proportion of bicycles. In order to master this feat of strength, the focus is primarily on expanding the infrastructure. “The priority here is to close the large gaps along the defined main cycle network. Basic data such as commuter and traffic flows are the key to our planning and expansion decisions in order to implement the measures with the greatest impact. Especially the cooperation between city and country as well as the thinking of traffic in the central area as a whole are indispensable,” says Deputy Mayor Barbara Unterkofler, who is responsible for traffic. “As the state of Salzburg, we will invest around six million euros in the cycling infrastructure this year and build a good ten kilometers of new cycle paths,” says Stefan Schnöll, the Salzburg state transport officer.