Residents call for permanent Neutor traffic ban

Residents gathered at Hildmannsplatz on Saturday to call for a permanent ban on private vehicles through the Neutor, ORF reported. The demonstration took place two days before the Neutor is due to close on Monday.

Nearly two dozen people used music, dancing and drumming to celebrate what they described as the coming liberation of the city centre from through traffic.

The organisers said the closure should be seen less as a potential source of traffic problems than as an opportunity to calm traffic. They said a pedestrian zone around Karajanplatz would benefit the entire city’s population.