Danube Cycle Path: High-precision counting technology for more cycling and tourism!

Danube Cycle Path: High-precision counting technology for more cycling and tourism!

Significant modernizations are taking place on the Danube cycle path, which are intended to benefit both the infrastructure and tourism. The Donau Österreich consortium and viadonau have renewed the current bike counting points on the popular Danube cycle path. As part of this, modern Tent Evo counting devices were installed, which enable precise recording of bicycle traffic. These developments are part of an ongoing project that has been driven forward since 2010 by WGD Donau Oberösterreich Tourismus GmbH and Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus GmbH in collaboration with the relevant authorities. The new equipment replaces outdated counting points to ensure greater accuracy in traffic recording.

The new counting devices, provided by Eco Counter, are network-independent and are characterized by high counting accuracy. In Upper Austria, five counting points were renewed, while in Lower Austria, ten counting points and two additional counting devices were installed around Krems. A total of 19 locations along the Danube cycle path between Passau and Vienna are now being monitored, including two new counting points that are equipped with speed measurements. The installation of the counting points was carried out by Gpv-Günther Pichler GmbH and is supported by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs and viadonau.

Importance of the data

The data collected from this comprehensive survey is of great importance for the planning and further development of the infrastructure of the Danube Cycle Path. They also enable an assessment of the impact of marketing measures and the economic importance of the cycle path. viadonau will use the figures determined to carry out maintenance measures on the staircase path. Cycling is currently experiencing a boom, which further underlines the importance of this data. The bike counts will resume in 2025 after a one-year break.

The MOVEBIS project in Hesse, which has been collecting anonymized traffic data since 2017 as part of the city cycling campaign, pursues a similar goal. Since 2022, 270 permanent counting points for bicycle traffic have been installed across the country, which are operated by various institutions such as districts and cities. The installation uses induction loops to detect cyclists. The technical details and future prospects of the counting points in Hesse are designed for the systematic further development of the cycle network and the implementation of targeted measures, which will also be evaluated later. The project is financed with funds from the Hesse Integrated Climate Protection Plan and has a total cost of around 3.6 million euros.

Overall, it shows that the collection of representative traffic data is crucial for the planning and development of cycling in Germany and Austria. The experiences from these projects will help to promote the use of bicycles as a sustainable means of transport and thus make a contribution to climate protection. It remains to be seen what further steps will be taken in the future to further improve the cycling infrastructure.