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All the streets of the cantonal capital should be slowed down in the name of security and “common sense”, believe the PS, the Greens and the Social Christians.
The slowdown to 30 km/h has been applied to 60% of the streets of Friborg since October 2. © Keystone
Published on 05/09/2024
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The speed limit has been 30 km/h in the city of Friborg since October 2. At least on 60% of the city’s road network, or 75% if we only count the public roads managed by the municipality. Seven months later, the political majority of the General Council considers this proportion insufficient. According to her, the entire city road network should be slowed down. The PS, the Greens and the Center Left – Christian Social Party transmitted, on April 23, a postulate “asking the Municipal Council to study the possibility of extending the speed limit to 30 km/h throughout of the city’s road network.
The limitation to 30 km/h “improves the safety and quality of life of residents, protects against noise and saves lives”, estimates ecologist Fabienne Menétrey, co-author of the postulate. “Currently, the city suffers from a fragmentation of traffic rules with streets and neighborhoods subject to different speed limits. Road users find themselves faced with frequent changes in speed limits, which can disrupt traffic flow and increase the risk of accidents.” Allowing motorists to ease up everywhere would therefore constitute “a measure of common sense”, according to the elected official.
“Currently, the city suffers from a fragmentation of traffic rules”
Fabienne Menétrey
By establishing 26 new limitation axes and 10 30 km/h zones last October, the city invoked a “road noise reduction plan”. The aim was to combat “harmful or annoying noise which affects one in seven residents at home during the day”, recalled the trustee, Thierry Steiert (ps). But the authors of the postulate, including Gérald Collaud (center left), believe that noise should not constitute the only criterion.
Christoph Allenspach (ps) regrets a lack of logic in the application of the limitations: “There are large roads, for example avenue Jean-Marie-Musy in Schoenberg or part of the Arsenals, which are wide, with a lot of traffic, many residents, and who remained at 50 km/h.” At the end of January, a petition with 940 signatures was given to the municipal authorities to “quickly” demand speed limits in Schoenberg, where an accident caused the death of a child last fall.
The right disapproves
On the right, such a measure seems premature, at a time when “road users must still get used to the new regime” and “the TPF must assess the situation, because delays in speed have been noted on the lines 1, 2 and 6”, underlined Jean-Pierre Wolhauser (plr) on April 23. And to estimate that, basically, a generalization of the measure “would have a significant impact on the profitability of companies, given the slowdowns it causes”.
José Uldry (udc) recalled that the Federal Chambers “recently accepted a motion which provides that 50 km/h should be the norm on the main roads within localities. It would therefore be prudent to wait to avoid any conflict with higher law.” And Claudio Rugo (artists) points out that another “petition, signed by 4000 people, against 30 km/ha has been filed. We haven’t heard about it and we haven’t had any feedback from the Municipal Council, but we have to take it into account.” In the end, the postulate was transmitted by 39 votes against 16 refusals and 4 abstentions.
10% balance
When contacted, the municipal councilor in charge of mobility, Pierre-Olivier Nobs (center left) did not wish to speak at this stage. The city of Friborg specified in 2022 that a slowdown on 75% of the network was “almost” equivalent to a generalized limitation. Once the restrictions are applied, only around 10% of the capital’s lanes would remain at 50 km/h, mainly in the Bourguillon, Beaumont and Schoenberg districts.
“We have already been working on the development of a 30 zone in the Jura district for several years, in consultation with local residents,” declared Pierre-Olivier Nobs last November. “Our goal is to start work in 2024 or 2025, but this deadline will depend on the outcome of the procedures and budgets.” As for the Beaumont and Schoenberg sectors, they are “under study”.
Cantonal roads
Julien Thirion, project manager at the Mobility Department, specified in 2022 that “the rest of the network of the city of Fribourg, i.e. 15% of the roads, is made up of cantonal axes which are not within the competence of the city, including the roads of Berne, Bourguillon, Tavel, Marly, de la Fonderie, part of the road de la Glâne and the Poya bridge.
According to federal law, the speed is in principle 50 km/h on “traffic-oriented” roads within localities, the Department of Territorial Development, Infrastructure, Mobility and Transportation reminds today. environment (DIME). “The speed of 30 km/h is possible in exceptional circumstances, for example when it comes to complying with noise limits imposed by federal law. When conditions are met, the speed of 30 km/h can also be applied on cantonal roads. Until now, this necessity has not been found to be necessary on the few sections of cantonal roads in the city of Fribourg, other measures having been taken to achieve the objectives of protection against noise on the first sections examined,” underlines Guido Balmer, DIME communications officer. The authors of the postulate nevertheless ask the city “to discuss it with the cantonal authorities”.
