From March next year, drivers of cars equipped with self-driving technology will be allowed to use it on motorways, reported RTS. This week, the Federal Council approved regulations allowing the use of self-driving systems. Once in force, starting on 1 March 2025, drivers with self-driving cars will be able to take their hands off the […]
Tourism one quarter of Switzerland’s traffic
New data show that tourism accounts for 25% of the total traffic on Swiss roads, reported SRF. The Federal Council report shows that leisure and tourism account for 53% of passenger road traffic, with the other 47% made up of commuting to and from work. Regular leisure traffic by residents of Switzerland accounted for 27% […]
Swiss to vote on plan to upgrade motorways this weekend
On 24 November 2024, the Swiss will vote on four questions. The first is a federal government plan to invest in expanding Switzerland’s motorway network. The government’s plan aims to alleviate six motorway bottlenecks. The Federal Council points out that traffic on the nation’s highways has more than doubled since 1990 and the estimated CHF […]
Switzerland remains the European leader in rail travel
This week, ahead of a vote to decide whether to expand the nations roads, LITRA, an organisation championing public transport in Switzerland, published its annual report on train travel across Europe. The figures show how far ahead of the rest of Europe Switzerland is on both the average number of journeys and distance travelled by […]
Winter tyre rules in Switzerland and its neighbours
Laws in France, Italy and Austria require drivers to fit winter tyres or carry chains between certain dates. In Germany, winter tires are mandatory for driving on snow, slush and ice. However, Switzerland leaves the decision on whether to fit winter tyres up to drivers. In Switzerland, there is no legal requirement to fit winter […]
Zurich wants to charge more to park large cars
This week, the leaders of the municipality of Zurich voted in favour of charging large car owners more for resident parking permits, reported SRF. The prices of resident parking permits are set to be calculated based on vehicle weight. A similar charging model has already been introduced in the city of Biel/Bienne. In Zurich, owners […]
How changing clocks back leads to more wildlife accidents
On 27 October 2024, daylight savings time ends when at 3am clocks are turned back one hour. However, this small change increases the number of collisions with wild animals on Swiss roads, reported SRF. In 2023, around 20,000 animals were hit on Swiss roads. Swiss motorists are most likely to hit a deer. In 2023, […]
Poll shows a majority favours Swiss motorway extension
On 24 November 2024, Swiss voters will decide on four proposals. One is whether to endorse a government plan to expand Switzerland’s motorway infrastructure in six places. A recent poll suggests a majority are in favour of the government’s plan, reported 20 Minutes. The poll was run last week by Tamedia and the results were […]
Proposal to make Swiss motorways more expensive for foreigners
This week, two PLR/FDP parliamentarians proposed increasing the price of the motorway vignette required to drive on the Swiss motorway network, reported SRF. The two politicians making the proposal are from the cantons of Schwytz and Ticino, two cantons affected by the heavy traffic passing through the Gotthard tunnel, one of the key north-south connections […]
Travelling by car becoming increasingly cheaper than public transport in Switzerland
Since 1990, the cost of travel by car has risen 24%, while travel by public transport has leapt by more than 100%, reported SRF. Since 1990, fuel prices and car prices have fallen, while the cost of tickets to ride public transport have consistently risen. According to Stefan Meierhans, Switzerland’s chief price watchdog, the rising […]
