• croatiantimes.com
• romaniantimes.at
• salzburgtimes.at
• viennatimes.at
• austrianindependent.com

Today

• Vienna - VESCC English Catholic Mass
• Vienna - Unknown Underground
• Vienna - Cats
• Vienna - Andy Warhol
• Vienna - Laser Tag

© europics.at

16. 02. 10. - 15:00

• more General News news
• RSS Feed General News

16. 02. 10. - 15:00

SPÖ under fire as majority want 24-hour U-Bahn

Vienna opposition party leaders have attacked the ruling Social Democrats (SPÖ) after it emerged that the majority of residents taking part in a referendum back a 24-hour underground train service at the weekend.

SPÖ Councillor Sandra Frauenberger announced today (Tues) around 54 per cent of people participating supported of an around the clock U-Bahn service on Fridays and Saturdays.

Frauenberger said 276,834 ballots have been counted, adding that this figure consisted of ballots handed in at public offices and a majority of postal votes.

Christine Marek, chief-elect of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) in Vienna accused the SPÖ, which has an absolute majority in the city council, of providing leading questions in the five-question referendum held last week.

All three opposition parties, the ÖVP, the Greens and the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) were furious with SPÖ bosses over various issues regarding the referendum.

Referring to the fact the question about a 24-hour weekend underground train service also stressed such a change could cost around five million Euros per year, Marek said: "The plan was to take voters for fools."

The ÖVP Vienna boss claimed the SPÖ’s mobilisation attempts failed since only around 26 per cent of Vienna residents took part in the referendum.

SPÖ Mayor Michael Häupl argued the opposition would "ignore" the approximately 300,000 people who took part while FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache labelled the participation as "embarrassingly low".

Häupl said ahead of the referendum he would be satisfied with a participation of around 25 per cent.

The mayor today pledged to realise the results of the referendum "as soon as possible" on political level. But he refused to name a specific date.

The SPÖ – which, according to surveys, is under threat of losing its absolute majority in the city elections set to take place in October – has opposed a 24-hour underground train service, while the ÖVP and the Greens have campaigned in favour of service plan changes for months.

Greens Vienna leader Maria Vassilakou today appealed to the SPÖ not to cut back the currently existing "NightLine" bus service when introducing a 24-hour U-Bahn weekend service.

Johannes Kurz, head of the federal ÖVP’s JVP youth organisation accused the capital’s SPÖ of "flushing seven million Euros of tax payers’ money down the toilet". Kurz was referring to the around 6.7 million Euros city officials declared the referendum would cost. Kurz claimed various polls have shown that Vienna residents would back a 24-hour underground service on weekends.

Vienna public transport agency Wiener Linien meanwhile said they would wait for the referendum’s final results which will be announced on 24 February. A spokesman for the firm however revealed a change in the U-Bahn’s weekend service schedule would take less than half a year.

The referendum also showed vast support for the introduction of a "dog keepers’ licence" for people with breeds considered dangerous (89.21 per cent), a reintroduction of janitors at public housing estates in the city (82.39 per cent) and a city-wide offering of full-time primary and secondary modern schools.

A majority of 75.1 per cent of Vienna residents participating in the referendum however opposed the introduction of a city road toll.

Austrian Times

Related articles: Wiener Linien

1. Ticket inspectors increasingly active

   » General News 2012-04-24

   Around 60,000 people were caught using Wiener Linien’s services without a ticket in the first three months of this year, according to company officials.

2. U-Bahn renovation replacement service details issued

   » General News 2012-03-29

   Wiener Linien has explained how it plans to compensate the partial shutdown of one of the city’s busiest underground lines.

3. Officials to spend €600mn on U-Bahn extension

   » Business 2012-03-22

   The Viennese government has disclosed details about the upcoming U1 extension.

more related articles tagged "Wiener Linien"

Related articles: Vienna focus

1. Knoflacher emphasises pedestrian zones' economic effects

   » General News 2012-05-24

   A renowned traffic planner has stressed that shop owners are generally appreciating the introduction of pedestrian zones.

2. FW turnover takes off

   » Business 2012-05-24

   Austria’s biggest airport has managed to increase its profit.

3. Vienna road toll on the agenda again

   » General News 2012-05-22

   The Vienna Greens are risking a coalition-internal conflict by calling for a city toll.

more related articles tagged "Vienna focus"

Related articles: election news

1. BZÖ ends Stronach speculations

   » General News 2012-05-18

   The Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) has finally dismissed the circulating rumours about teaming up with a billionaire businessman.

2. Foreign minister rules out stop of support for Greece

   » General News 2012-05-18

   Austrian Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger has promised that the European Union (EU) will not let Greece down.

3. BZÖ farewell possible, poll shows

   » General News 2012-05-17

   The chances of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) to avoid dropping out of parliament are waning, according to a new poll.

more related articles tagged "election news"

Turks flattened by lone asylum seeker
A furious Nigerian went on the rampage at a refuge for asylum seekers in Leibnitz, attacking several people and damaging property.

Woman bites toddler
A woman who bit a two-year-old tot during a road rage row with her mother is being quizzed by police in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

New Dany Boon comedy to be filmed in Austria
The French film star Dany Boon, one of the highest paid actors in Europe after his hit film "Welcome to the Sticks", is filming in Salzburg.

China meets Hallstatt
After a long time of speculation and anticipation the exact copy of Austrian world heritage village of Hallstatt-Dachstein in China will be unveiled, and there will be real-life Austrians present for the ceremony.

Skier in court after accident
A man from Graz is in court today accused of having inflicted negligent injury upon a five-year-old when skiing in Carinthia last year.

Two fires in Ottakring claim one life
Two fires started on Thursday evening in the Vienna district of Ottakring, one of which claimed a man’s life. Several people were evacuated as a result of the two blazes.

Cows zapped to death by lightning
Four cows were zapped to death after a lightning strike hit the barbed wire fence they were leaning on in Reith im Alpbachtal, Austria.

Wolf babies born in Schönbrunn
These cuddly Artic wolf cubs have got every right to look a bit frosty - after they emerged into the world for the first time in the middle of a 27 degree heatwave.

Cleaned Out
A Hungarian cleaning woman who stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of antique jewellery from an Austrian Countess and then sold it for "pocket money" unaware of its real value has been jailed by a court in Austria.

Great expectations for summer tourism season in Vorarlberg
The Vorarlberg tourism industry is currently riding high after a record breaking winter season, and the summer season is expected to follow that same trend.

Jobs in Austria