Section Control on the A4 at the Prater junction starts phase four

Section-based speed monitoring on the A 4 Ost Autobahn in the area of the Prater Interchange is being reorganized. With the Section Control Measurement Section Ordinance A 4 Prater Interchange 2026 Phase 4, the Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure redefines the monitored route sections and repeals the previously applicable Phase 2 ordinance from 2025. The ordinance was promulgated on September 16, 2026, in the Federal Law Gazette Part II under the number BGBl. II No. 276/2026.

Legal Basis and Scope

The ordinance is based on § 98a Para. 1 StVO 1960, BGBl. No. 159/1960, most recently amended by BGBl. I No. 62/2026. It regulates on which route sections compliance with the maximum permitted speed is monitored using an imaging technical device that measures the average driving speed of a vehicle over the respective section.

Both directional lanes of the Ostautobahn in the area of the Prater Interchange in Vienna are affected:

• Directional lane Hungarian state border: Section from km 4.31 to km 6.94
• Directional lane Vienna: Section from km 6.95 to km 4.32

Notification Requirement and Replacement of the Previous Regulation

According to § 2 of the ordinance, the beginning and end of the monitored measurement section must be announced. Drivers are thus alerted to the start and end of the monitored section through corresponding notices.

Under § 3, the previous regulation is repealed. Specifically, the Section Control Measurement Section Ordinance A 4 Prater Interchange 2025 Phase 2, BGBl. II No. 196/2025, ceases to be in force. The new Phase 4 ordinance thus replaces the previously applicable monitoring section, which extended from the Prater Interchange to the Simmeringer Haide junction.

Significance for Commuters and Road Users

The new regulation affects all commuters on the Ostautobahn in both directions – both those traveling towards Hungary and those driving into the federal capital Vienna. The measurement sections are located in the heavily trafficked area of the Prater Interchange, one of the most important traffic hubs in eastern Austria.

The ordinance was signed by the responsible Federal Minister and issued with an official signature on September 16, 2026. It is therefore part of the ongoing efforts to increase road safety on the heavily frequented Ostautobahn through section-based speed monitoring.

For road users, the new ordinance means that on the mentioned sections, the average speed over the entire measurement section will be monitored in the future – not just at a single point. Therefore, anyone who exceeds the maximum permitted speed on a partial section can be held accountable, even if they reduce their speed again before the end of the section.

Source: Federal Law Gazette for the Republic of Austria, Part II, No. 276/2026, issued on September 16, 2026 (official reference: BGBl. II No. 276/2026).