Resistance is strong Highway expansion divides politicians

Freeway expansion is a contentious issue: while supporters see it as the answer to growing traffic, environmental groups warn of the consequences for nature and the climate - the most important figures at a glance.

On November 24, the Swiss electorate will vote on the financing of six freeway expansion projects worth a total of CHF 4.9 million. However, the plans are meeting with resistance: environmental associations and left-wing parties are sharply criticizing the project, as the Tages Anzeiger newspaper writes.

Freeways were once seen as symbols of progress and prosperity - but in the context of climate change, this view is no longer uncontroversial. Beyond the ideological debate, the question arises as to how indispensable motorways actually are for traffic. The figures show a remarkable dominance of freeways.

One of the main arguments put forward by opponents of the expansion is the progressive sealing of areas, which would result in the loss of valuable cultivated land. According to the Federal Roads Office (Astra), however, the motorways are around 2.5 times more efficient in terms of land use than the rail network and even 8 times more efficient than the rest of the road network. This means that a high transport capacity is achieved on a small area.

Highways make up only 2.7 percent of the road network

However, critics complain that efficiency should not be compared with the entire rail network, but only with the high-capacity rail routes. Despite these objections, the importance of freeways remains undisputed: they account for only 2.7 percent of the road network, but carry around 45 percent of all road traffic and 70 percent of freight traffic.

Although the railroad is considered a national cultural asset, it only transports an average of 16 percent of passenger kilometers, while cars cover three quarters of the routes. The average occupancy rate on SBB trains in 2023 was 27.2 percent - meaning many seats remain unused. Nevertheless, passengers often complain about overcrowded trains, as capacity utilization varies greatly. The situation is similar on the roads: The number of hours of congestion on national roads has increased almost tenfold since 2000, which according to Astra is mainly due to congested roads rather than roadworks.

For those in favor of the freeway expansion, these congestion figures are a clear argument for the project: The dodging traffic also puts a strain on towns and villages. Opponents, on the other hand, see this as the problem - an expansion would only attract more traffic and not solve the basic problem.

Rail traffic is growing the fastest

Rail traffic has become much more important in the last 20 years. Impressive passenger records have been achieved with structures such as the Lötschberg and Gotthard base tunnels and the new Mattstetten-Rothrist line.

Car traffic, on the other hand, barely grew faster than the resident population. The effect of the coronavirus pandemic is interesting: while SBB recorded a record number of passengers, the number of kilometers driven by car is still below the 2019 level.

The federal government's forecasts assume population growth of 21% and an 11% increase in traffic by 2050, with motorized private transport even expected to decrease slightly. According to the scenario, a further fifth of vehicles will be autonomous by 2050.

In a petition against the project, 342 traffic experts criticize that the freeway expansion takes too little account of this development. Nevertheless, these future scenarios remain uncertain: in the past, the federal government has often been wrong, especially when it comes to population growth.