Danube Cycle Tour, south shore: Passau-Vienna

Use of the crossings of the Danube power stations of VERBUND in Upper Austria
VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy provider and operator of the Danube power stations, has adopted a regulation for the use of the Danube power station crossings of Abwinden-Asten and Ottensheim-Wilhering, in association with the State of Upper Austria’s Department for Comprehensive Traffic Planning and Public Transport, Upper Austrian Tourism and the mayors of Ottensheim and Luftenberg. It is guaranteed that the crossings are open from 1 April to 31 October, from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If temperatures are sufficiently warm in November and March, the crossings are also open. From early December to late February, though, the crossings are closed to bikers and pedestrians for liability reasons.

The municipalities do not assume liability for the use of the crossings during the other months. Distributing gravel and salt along the crossings leads to damage to the buildings of the power station and the offices that are located below. It is therefore not possible to guarantee that the crossings are free of snow and ice. For this reason, the power station crossings are closed in December, January and February.

The State of Upper Austria’s Department for Comprehensive Traffic Planning and Public Transport gives users of the cross-regional network of bike paths advance notice regarding the opening times by means of signs along the bike paths. “Notice boards along the bike paths will inform bikers in due time of the opening times,” states Johann Froschauer, who is responsible for the network of bike paths in Upper Austria.

More flexible opening times in November and March
As it is possible for the weather to be warm for prolonged periods of time in November and March and therefore to use the crossings without the risk of snow and ice, VERBUND is willing in the interest of the public to open the power station crossings to bikers and pedestrians if the weather is warm in the future. For this reason, the regulations, in particular at weekends and round Easter, are less complicated. Nevertheless, it is VERBUND’s decision whether to open the crossings.

Guaranteed opening times:
Opening hours of the bridges at the Ottensheim–Wilhering and Abwinden–Asten power plants: 1 April – 31 October, daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m

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