Vienna plans wider cycle lanes on the Zweierlinie

Vienna has presented initial plans to widen cycle lanes and add greenery along the Zweierlinie, a busy road corridor running parallel to the Ring. ORF reported that the changes will follow completion of subway construction.

The roughly 1.5-kilometre route runs between Universitätsstraße and Mariahilfer Straße. Parts are currently dug up or closed because of subway works near the Rathaus and the Landesgericht.

Work is planned in three stages. From spring 2027, construction is due to begin along Auerspergstraße and Museumsstraße, between Josefs- and Burggasse. The stretch by Museumsplatz, between Burggasse and Mariahilfer Straße, is scheduled for spring 2028. A third stage on Landesgerichtsstraße is planned after the subway opens in 2030. Plans for that section have not yet been drawn up.

Most of the route will remain open to private motor traffic. Where there are currently three lanes in one direction, one will be removed, leaving two lanes in each direction. Turning lanes will remain. The existing narrow cycle lanes will be widened, some traffic-light phases changed, and cycle and pedestrian traffic more clearly separated.

Greening plans for the first two stages are limited to nine new trees. Planning and transport councillor Ulli Sima said the U2 tunnel runs directly beneath the road, leaving little space for roots. She said more trees could be planted on the third section, where side roads will also be included.

Sima called the redesign a “historic opportunity”. The heads of the neighbouring districts of Neubau and Josefstadt welcomed the plans as a sustainable improvement, while Josefstadt district head Martin Fabisch said he would have preferred further reductions in car lanes. The city’s Green Party planning spokesperson, Kilian Stark, criticised the focus on car traffic, saying the plans missed an opportunity to create a boulevard with trees and green space.

The Austrian Transport Club welcomed the planned wider cycle lanes and safer junctions. The MuseumQuartier’s director, Bettina Leidl, said the changes also offered a chance to further develop its forecourt. A competition for that project is due to be launched in 2027, with more seating, shade and trees planned.