The Rechts Iselweg is open to traffic again, including a wide sidewalk. It’s getting tight for cyclists.
December 19th, 8:30 a.m.: Dredging and digging is taking place on the Isel like every working day. The work is currently focused on the Iselsteg, which has since been dismantled and is due to be renewed by spring.
The controversial “Isellounge”, for which some trees had to be felled, is now clearly visible. The bay, which, after some protests from the citizens of Lienz, is smaller and less concrete than originally planned, has already been dredged and covered with “sitting stones”. When grass has grown over the construction site, people should come closer to the river and sit in the sun. New trees will have to grow for a while before they provide shade.
On the orographic right bank of the river – without any official announcement – the road was reopened, freshly asphalted and flanked by a striking, fairly high, very wide and continuous concrete sidewalk. Pedestrians now have the choice of whether they choose this straight line or the quay on the other side of the river as their path along the Isel.
There are fewer alternatives for cyclists. They are currently only tolerated on Iselkai between the Spitalsbrücke and the footbridge and even there, some local councilors and Mayor Elisabeth Blanik repeatedly express doubts as to whether this makes sense. Cycling is prohibited on the Iselkai from the Iselsteg to the Pfarrbrücke. The right Iselweg would have been an alternative, but due to the wide sidewalk it is no longer suitable for its own cycle lane.
So if you want to cycle from the Fischwirt to the Lienz campus, you have to choose either Beda-Weber-Gasse or the new right-hand Iselweg and share the road with the cars. In 2026, at least 243,000 euros are budgeted for the expansion of the inner-city cycle path network. It will be interesting to see which routes are affected.
