The “CH” sticker that Swiss drivers must legally put on their vehicles before entering another country is required under the 1968 international convention on road traffic. Under the convention, any vehicle driven outside its home territory must display country initials made up of one to three latin characters. Most European plates incorporate the required identifying […]
Question of the week: why do so many Swiss rental cars have AI plates?
In Switzerland, cars are registered in the canton where the car owner resides, so most cars in a given canton bear the plates of that canton. However, there is a notable exception. Cars with plates from Appenzell-Innerrhoden (AI), Switzerland’s least populated canton, seem to pop up in large numbers everywhere. Why? Most car owners are […]
Allowing trucks on Swiss roads at night under discussion
Under current rules trucks are not allowed on Swiss roads between 10pm and 5am and on Sundays, with some exceptions. However, the Swiss authorities are discussing the possibility of loosening these rules in order reduce daytime traffic, reported Le Matin. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is considering reducing the time period at night when heavy […]
Swiss government looking at how to tax electric vehicles
Roads in Switzerland are largely funded via tax on fuel. But with electric vehicles set to become the main means of road transport and no equivalent taxes on electricity the government is looking at alternative forms of tax to fund roads, reports 20 Minutes. The Federal Council has asked the Federal Department of the Environment, […]
Swiss road traffic almost back to pre-Covid level
Less traffic was one silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, long hours spent in traffic jams returned to Switzerland in 2021. On some stretches the waiting is worse. A report published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is grim reading for road users in a hurry. The Covid pandemic led to a […]
Stalkers using online licence plate database to get addresses in Switzerland
Until 4 April 2022, anyone wanting information on the owner of a vehicle in the canton of Vaud had to make a formal application to the cantonal vehicle registry and pay CHF 20. However, from that date anyone can instantly get an owner’s name and address using the free online Auto-Index system. Other Swiss cantons, […]
Swiss government adds billions to fight against road noise
Switzerland’s federal government will provide the cantons with an additional CHF 52 billion to cut road noise, reported RTS. The additional CHF 52 billion will be added to an existing funding package of CHF 26 billion. The main source of noise in Switzerland is from road traffic. More than a million people, over 10% of […]
Some Swiss cantons now advertise the location of speed cameras
Switzerland has some of the world’s stiffest penalties for speeding. In exceptional cases fines can rise to a percentage of the drivers income in addition to licence removal and prison time. In 2010, a wealthy speeder was fined CHF 299,000 for driving at 140 km/h in a 100 km/h zone. Swiss road rules became stricter […]
New Swiss plates for bike racks launched
From 1 March 2022 it will be possible to order extra licence plates for a bike rack from the cantonal authorities, announced Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office. This will remove the need to transfer car plates to the bike rack. It is expected that the first plates will be delivered from the end of March 2022. […]
Swiss government forecasts 12 billion francs spending on roads
Switzerland’s federal government expects to spend CHF 8 billion repairing federal roads and another CHF 4 billion extending them between 2024 and 2027, it announced this week. Maintenance, noise proofing and other upgrades to the existing road network are expected to consume CHF 8.4 billion between 2024 and 2027, an average annual cost of CHF […]
