Does Switzerland need wider highways?

Traffic jams reached a new record last year in Switzerland. According to the Federal Roads Office, motorists were stranded for more than 48,800 hours on Swiss roads.

To combat the problem, the Federal Council and Parliament want to invest 5.3 billion francs to widen the A1 motorway between Bern and Zurich and between Lausanne and Geneva. The government recalls that the highways were built in the 50s and 60s, when the country had six million inhabitants. Today, it has three million more and traffic is increasing accordingly.

>> To find out everything about the motorway extension project:

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“An ecological aberration” for the no camp

The project, however, is not to the taste of environmentalists. An alliance of environmental organizations launched a referendum against it. She opposes what she considers “an ecological aberration”, arguing that public authorities should instead invest in rail.

Opponents also say that expanding highways is not a solution. In their eyes, this would on the contrary lead to an increase in traffic. They estimate that the daily number of vehicles on the highway will increase from 90,000 to 130,000 if the project is implemented.

>> Watch our Let’s Talk filmed debate on the expansion of the motorway network: