Last November, the Swiss population rejected the project to extend the motorways to six lanes. National Councilor Raphaël Mahaim (V/VD) believes that we must look for other avenues, it goes without saying, to relieve traffic congestion. In a motion he has just tabled in Bern, he proposes moving to “a general limitation of traffic speed to 100 km/h, with even a limit of 80 km/h on certain sections highly prone to traffic jams”.
The Vaudois elected official recalls that in recent years, the Confederation has carried out on several occasions a targeted adaptation of traffic conditions on motorways, by developing temporary speed limits on congested sections. As the Federal Roads Office found: “Research results and local knowledge show that a section of motorway reaches its maximum capacity when vehicles travel on it at a speed of around 85 km/h .”
Currently, the maximum speed allowed on motorways is 120 km/h. Lowering it by 20 km/h would also reduce fuel consumption. In a previous response, the Federal Council estimated that this reduction to 100 km/h would have the effect of reducing the total consumption of the vehicle fleet in Switzerland by 2 to 3%.
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