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Bicycle ban in Viennese park only checked after the Ombudsman Board intervened

A Viennese woman complained that in Auer-Welsbach-Park in Vienna 15, which she often visits, nobody obeys the cycling ban. She herself was in a wheelchair and her assistance dog was also endangered by the inconsiderate cyclists. Once, when the disabled woman was travelling on foot without her wheelchair, a cyclist knocked her down, breaking her hand; the cyclist had committed a hit-and-run. She had only seen a police patrol car once in the park. However, he had not bothered to enforce the ban on cycling in the park. Instead, she was told that the district was responsible for this. However, they shrugged their shoulders and referred to the no cycling signs at the park entrances and that no staff were available to check compliance. As she felt that no authority considered itself responsible, the woman turned to the Ombudsman Board, which asked the Mayor of Vienna for a statement.

"In its statement, the City of Vienna pointed out that the police, i.e. the Vienna Provincial Police Directorate (LPD), must indeed check whether someone is riding a bicycle illegally in a park. If this is the case, the LPD must submit a report to the municipal authorities, on the basis of which the respective district office must then initiate administrative criminal proceedings," reports Elisabeth Schwetz, the Ombudswoman responsible for the investigation. The Austrian Ombudsman Board is of the opinion that the City of Vienna should be interested in ensuring that the ordinances it publishes are also complied with, all the more so if citizens draw its attention to such irregularities.

In a second statement, the City of Vienna replied that the responsible police inspectorate (PI) had been asked to carry out more checks to ensure compliance with the cycling ban in Auer-Welsbach-Park. If necessary, they would also forward reports to the municipal authorities in future.

"As the Vienna City Gardens apparently only asked the Vienna-Storchengasse police station to carry out more frequent checks on compliance with the cycling ban in Auer-Welsbach-Park when the Ombudsman Board intervened, the woman's complaint proved to be justified," said Ombudswoman Schwetz.

Translation was AI-generated

Ban on cycling in parks. Ban on cycling in parks. Picture credits: AI-generated