Starting in fall 2026, Vienna's tram line 18 is to be extended from Schlachthausgasse to Handelskai. While the Mobility Club generally welcomes this expansion of public transport capacity, it criticizes the associated restrictions on motorized traffic. Specifically, the plan is to impose a ban on cars and motorcycles on Stadionallee between Lusthausstraße and the Stadionbad parking lot. This means that through traffic between the second and third districts will have to divert to either the Tangente or Praterstern.
The ÖAMTC views this measure critically. Traffic expert Matthias Nagler complains that this will mean massive time losses and unnecessary additional kilometers for many residents, especially for drivers of mopeds or vehicles exempt from the toll sticker, who cannot use the motorway. Furthermore, the extension of line 18 will also result in a reduction in the number of lanes on Schlachthausgasse, Rennweg, and the Stadionbrücke, which the ÖAMTC considers a potential impairment of the road network's capacity, particularly at intersections. Nagler even expressed concern about disruptions to the tram itself at certain locations.
The ÖAMTC had previously submitted alternative planning proposals that would have allowed for the coexistence of all modes of transport on Stadionallee, but these were not further considered by the City of Vienna. The objections of numerous citizens' initiatives in the second and third districts were also ignored. Nagler concludes that while the expansion of public transport is important, in this case, car traffic is unnecessarily excluded entirely, thus missing an opportunity to consider the interests of all road users in the interests of a livable city.
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