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 […]
Electric scooter accidents on the rise in Switzerland
With more and more electric scooters on Swiss streets every year the number of accidents is rising. In 2021, there were around 2,500 accidents involving electric scooters in Switzerland, according to an estimate by Suva, a public insurer. The latest figure is three times the 800 accidents involving electric scooters estimated by Suva in 2019. […]
1 in 7 new cars in Switzerland were electric and nearly half were 4x4s in 2021
Recent data on new car sales in Switzerland in 2021 show that 31,823 new electric cars were registered in 2021. The data also show that 48% of new registrations were 4x4s. Electric cars made up 13% of the 238,481 new vehicles registered in Switzerland in 2021. Diesel (42%), petrol (14%) and hybrid (31%) cars made […]
Majority against a general 30 km/hour speed limit in Swiss cities
The number of 30 km/hour speed zones is rising in Swiss cities and towns. Some are considering plans such as making 30 km/hour zones standard and 50 km/hour zones an exception. However, a recent poll suggests 84% of the population supports the current system of a 50 km/hour standard limit, with exceptions for 30 km/hour […]
Daytime lights to become compulsory for e-bikes in Switzerland
From 1 April 2022, e-bikes ridden on Swiss roads will need to have lights, according to a report by RTS. In addition, e-bikes capable of reaching power-assisted speeds of up to 45 km/h must be equipped with speedometers from 1 April 2024. This rule is aimed at ensuring riders respect speed limits in 20 km/h […]
