ÖDP on transport

The ÖDP wants to at least double funding for local public transit and for the rail network. Rail, cycling and walking would be expanded as part of a broader shift in how people get around.

The ÖDP wants to spend much more money on buses and trains. The money should at least double. Paths for bikes and walking should also get better. Then fewer people should need a car.

Local public transit would receive 24 billion euros a year and the rail network 12 billion euros. All rail lines would be electrified, following the Swiss example. The plan includes a single Europe-wide ticketing system, more night trains and swift completion of international rail projects. There would be funding for fare-free local transit. On-demand services and electric car sharing are meant to give small towns and rural areas suitable public transit as well.

The ÖDP wants to cut passenger car traffic by at least half by 2035. Lower speed limits, a halt to registering new combustion-engine cars, a freeze on highway construction and a ban on short flights are meant to help.

The ÖDP wants far less car traffic. By 2035 there should be only half as much. The speed limit on highways should be 120 km/h. New gas and diesel cars should no longer be registered. The ÖDP wants to ban short flights.

In cities, the number of cars would fall to one third by 2035, and municipalities would be allowed to charge a congestion fee. The limit would be 80 km/h on rural roads and 30 km/h in towns, except on suitable main roads. No Autobahn or federal highway would be newly built, widened or planned. New combustion-engine cars would no longer be registered from 2025, and motorized transport would go electric. Flights of under 700 kilometers as the crow flies would be banned, and subsidies and tax breaks for aviation abolished. Urban planning with short distances is meant to avoid traffic.