Brochure Gentle Mobility.Pdf

Right of Way for People ......................................................................3 Graz – City of Diversity....................................................................... 4 Decision: City for Cars or More Space for People ..............................6 Gentle Mobility- an Idea for the Future ............................................... 8 Space for People .............................................................................. 12 A Green Net for Graz ........................................................................ 14 Graz Rides Bicycle ........................................................................... 15 Contents Right of Way for Public Transportation ..............................................17 Highlights in the Net of Tramway Lines ............................................ 20 Speed 30/50 in Graz ........................................................................ 21 Parking in Graz .................................................................................22 Graz sets Trends .............................................................................. 24 Data according to Graz and to Transportation ................................. 28 Thanks to DI Gerhard Ablasser and DI Heike Falk (The Executive Office for Urban Planning, Develop- ment and Construction/Unit for European Programmes and International Cooperation) and DI Thomas Fischer (The Executive Office for Urban Planning, Development and Construction). CONTACT: City of Graz The Executive Office for Urban Planning, Development and Construction Unit for European Programmes and International Cooperation Building Authority, 5. Floor A-8020 Graz, Europaplatz 20 Tel. +43 (0) 316/872-4201 Tel. +43 (0) 316/872-3581 Fax +43 (0) 316/872-3589 Departement Traffic Planing Building Authority, 7. Floor A-8020 Graz, Europaplatz 20 Tel. +43 (0) 316/872-2881 Departement Street Maintainance Building Authority, 4. and 5. Floor A-8020 Graz, Europaplatz 20 Tel. +43 (0) 316/872-3601 A tramway slides along the pedestrian area in Herrengasse. - 2 - Gentle Mobility Gentle mobility also means… Jakominiplatz is a hub of public transport …a lot of recreational space for people Right of Way for People A high quality of life is essen- increase in the growth of the volume He never lost sight of his vision to give tial for living in the city. If the of traffic led to massive environmental space in the city back to the people. quality of life deteriorates, the and traffic problems. He placed the emphasis on strengthe- This is why the city of Graz said good- ning the weakest players in the system: image of the city as a good bye to a motor vehicle oriented road Children, elderly people, handicapped place of residence will suffer. planning and early on followed new people, parents with small children As a consequence of the poor paths. In its new approach the city fo- and most of all pedestrians and bicy- quality of life, the residents cuses on future – oriented traffic mea- cle riders through their way of mobility will relocate elsewhere which sures such as promoting bicycle traffic, contribute more than anybody towards the development of the public trans- an intact environment and a good qua- in turn will have fatal effects portation network, extensive restricted for the economic situation of lity of life. speed zones (speed limit 30km/h), a The aim of the concept of „Gentle Mo- the city. modern parking facility management, bility“ is to utilize the various means and modern technologies for reduced of transportation as environmentally The city of Graz puts much importance exhaust emissions. and city – compatible as possible. The to quality in all areas of life. Not only is The decrease in the number of acci- following aspects are central to this the quality of life defined by an intact dents in restricted speed zones alone concept: More security for all traffic environment, ideal living conditions proves the effectiveness of the re- participants, a more environmentally and attractive economic surroundings, think. All those traffic measures are a good conditions for the individual mo- consequence of the implementation of friendly and efficient handling of traf- bility behavior are as well a defining the traffic guidelines 2000 – the „Gentle fic in which unnecessary car rides are aspect of the quality of life. In the con- Mobility Scenario“ – as the traffic phi- avoided, as well as public space made cept of gentle mobility people have the losophy of Graz which has accessed as attractive as possible – the very right of way – but this has not always several EU- Programs and has been space for the people we have been been the case. In the 1950s and 1960s acknowledged internationally. discussing. traffic planning was almost exclusively The pioneer in the implementation of These specifics led to a conflict of aligned to motorized individual trans- the concept of „Gentle Mobility“ was interests. The limitations of the moto- port; this comes as no surprise given the City Councilor of Traffic and former rized individual traffic especially have the limited number of motor vehicles Vice Mayor of Graz, Mr. Erich Edeg- caused heated debates which are still on the roads then and neither was the ger. Even in the face of many adversi- ongoing today. This conflict of interests steep increase in motor vehicle regis- ties, the passionate bicycle rider never has both in the past and today caused trations foreseeable at the time. This gave up trying to convince people of delays and setbacks for this intelligent bias in combination with a dramatic the benefits of this innovative concept. philosophy. - 3 - The Museum of Contemporary Art (Kunsthaus) which was opened in 2003 – the year in which Graz was Cultural Capital of Europe is a milestone of the cultural life in Graz. European Cultural Capital, UNESCO World Cultural Inheritance, bicycle – stronghold, domain of many Nobel Prize winners, cultural stronghold, and melting pot of many cultures – Graz has many faces. The city portrays itself on some occasions as metropolis, on other occasions as contemplative oasis with Mediterranean flair. But always Graz enchants the tourists and its visitors cannot help but succumb to its charm. or centuries – or more pre- Cistercian monastery in the world lo- versity of Applied Sciences. Today cisely for millenniums – the cated about 15 km from Graz. In 1260 the students contribute to the city’s FGraz basin has been a place Graz was awarded town ordinances youthful dynamic during the acade- where humans liked to settle. On a and privileges and among them its mic year. space of about 128 square kilome- own coat of arms – the panther of the With the growth towards the end of the ters on which today roughly 350.000 Earl of Steyr. Middle Ages, which can be noted still people bustle around on an average today in the uncountable buildings of day, the first „citizens of Graz“ settled this period in the city center, the city 3.000 to 2.000 before Christ: Stone- Boom town in the Middle Ages of Graz increased its popularity as a age people who still lived far from place of residence. At the same time village-structures. Those structures Between 1438 and 1493 Graz ex- the new wealth made it increasingly emerged about 800 years before perienced its first boom and period attractive for passing through armies Christ; in the areas of Pfauengarten of prosperity. Archduke Friedrich V., as a prey for plundering. With the and Karmeliterplatz at the foot of the the later emperor Kaiser Friedrich III., continuous and growing threat of the Schlossberg, archeologists disco- declared the Murstadt (city along the Turks, the Schlossberg was transfor- vered during the construction works river Mur) his favorite residence and med to a fortress in 1543. In 1642 the for the biggest underground parking designed and built the so-called „City city added the arsenal (Zeughaus) to lot in Graz the remains of the oldest Crown“ around the cathedral. Graz its fortifications. Of the then 188.000 settlements in Graz built during the experienced its second period of pro- weapons and suits of armor the armo- Hallstatt period. The name of the city sperity under the rule of Archduke ry held at the time, 32.000 are still on dates back to the year 955 when Graz Karl II., who had the old Jesuit Univer- display in the world’s largest historic – or rather „Gradec“ was first menti- sity built in Hofgasse and in this way armory today. oned as the Slavic word for „small laying the cornerstone for the center Napoleon finally did away with the fortress“. This small fortress stood – of study and education Graz is today. Schlossberg- fortification. In the where else could it have stood – on Because today approximately 40.000 peace treaty of Schönbrunn, it was the Schlossberg (473 m). In 1128 the young adults study and are trained by concluded that the fortress had to name „Gradec“ changed to „Gracz“ highly professional staff in one of the be destroyed in 1809; probably out recorded in a certificate in the library four main universities or in one of the of annoyance and rage because the of Stift Rein – the oldest still lived-in study courses of the Joanneum Uni- armies of the short Corsicans hadn’t - 4 - Gentle Mobility been able to conquer the fortress. From the 19th century, the development of Graz took place stroke by stroke. In 1868 the city park (Stadt- park) was obtained its new and pre- sent look, in 1887 the first tramway- pulled by horses went into operation. In 1899 the Opera House was built, in 1912 the General Hospital

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