Visiting Vienna

Viennese drivers are relatively law-abiding and levels of traffic are tolerable in the city. So you’re unlikely to have to play Russian Roulette everytime you nip over the street to buy a postcard.

Nevertheless, whether a chicken or tourist, there are a few handy hints when it comes to crossing the road in Vienna without ending up in hospital or worse.

Zebra crossings

As elsewhere, black and white stripes across the road indicate a safe place to cross. Usually.

A zebra crossing — especially at a junction — often has a red and green light for pedestrians to observe. Don’t automatically assume the stripes mean you can walk across when you like; check there’s no red light first.

If there are no lights associated with the crossing, then the law states that the pedestrian has right of way. When you step out, cars etc. should stop and let you cross. Unfortunately, this is one area where Austrians are not particularly disciplined.

Don’t assume the cars are going to stop. To be safe, make as if you’re going to cross, but wait for cars to slow down before you actually do. Or only step out when oncoming drivers have plenty of time to reflect on whether they really want to hit you or not.

Junctions

Many junctions have a walk / don’t walk light system linked to the traffic lights. They consist of an image of a man walking, backlit with green (”walk”) and an image of a man not walking, backlit with red (”don’t walk”). A flashing green light means it’s about to switch to red and you shouldn’t start crossing.

Although a green light indicates it’s safe to cross, note that this does not mean that all the vehicles are waiting at a red light. While you have priority, cars may still be turning onto the road you’re crossing. Normally they will wait, but if you rush out they may not see you. So be careful.

It is illegal to cross when the red “don’t walk” light is showing, but the rule is rarely enforced.

Pedestrian crossings

There are very few pedestrian crossings, i.e. traffic lights designed solely to hold up traffic so you can cross. When you do find them, press the obvious button. The word “warten” (wait) should normally appear above it. If you’re still waiting half a week later, the lights aren’t broken - they’re just notoriously (and inexplicably) slow at changing.

Pedestrianized zones

A few streets in the city center and elsewhere are pedestrianized. Once again, this doesn’t necessarily mean there are no vehicles around. In the center, for example, there is a bus service that drives through the pedestrianized shopping zone. So keep half an eye open.

One final note. Be particularly careful late at night. Driving while under the influence of alcohol does not have the same social stigma attached to it as in places like the UK; many people still see drunk driving as a relatively trivial offence. So drivers returning from a bar may have slow reactions.

This entry is filed under Getting around.