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 […]
Switzerland falls short of electric mobility objectives
This week, Switzerland’s federal government met with leaders in the electric mobility sector to discuss progress and set targets for 2030, reported RTS. It appears targets set for 2025 are unlikely to be reached. The last time targets were set they were aimed at 50% of new vehicle registrations being electric by 2025. However, with […]
Some foreign drivers pay significantly higher Swiss car insurance premiums
Insurance companies use customer data to estimate the risk of an accident and calculate a price for covering that risk. Any discernable attribute that correlates with differences in risk can help to make pricing more accurate. The age and gender of the driver, where they live and the vehicle they drive are the key factors […]
Group against Swiss motorway enlargement launches its campaign
This week, a group in the Lake Geneva region against the federal government’s plan to expand key stretches of the A1 motorway in Switzerland, launched its campaign against the idea ahead of a vote on 24 November, reported RTS. The federal government recently announced a plan to add lanes to six stretches of Switzerland’s A1 […]
A look back at Swiss resistance to seat belt laws
Thirty years ago, Switzerland introduced rules making it compulsory to wear seatbelts in any seat where seatbelts are fitted. This made wearing seatbelts in rear seats compulsory for the first time, reported RTS. Adding a requirement to wear rear seatbelts was met with little resistance. However, in 1980 when a referendum was run on whether […]
Swiss car battery recycler set for launch
A popular criticism of electric cars is the toxic battery waste they create. In response to this criticism and for the benefit of the environment a new factory in the Swiss town of Biberist in the canton of Solothurn is aiming to recycle 97% of the components of a range of car batteries, reported SRF. […]
Anti-noise vehicle radar test completed in Geneva
Vehicle noise is a problem in Switzerland. The authorities receive a numerous and growing number complaints, particularly in cities. Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) placed noise detection radars in Geneva to quantify the problem. This week, they released the results, reported RTS. Radars erected in a number of places in Geneva flashed between […]
Famous Swiss Post bus horn turns 100
Swiss Post buses are equipped with horns to warn on coming vehicles as they navigate tight corners on Switzerland’s mountain roads. The horns sound out the first few notes of the Andante of the overture to Gioacchino Rossini’s opera William Tell. These notes were first heard on Swiss roads 100 years ago. In 1919, when […]
