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Priority for carpooling: A laudable idea fails due to the lack of space, as the federal government and cantons confirm.
Rush hour on the Autobahn, heavy traffic and a nervous look at the clock when there is a traffic jam. From the new year there could be relaxation, theoretically. A new traffic sign should open an additional lane for those cars. It shows a passenger car with a number indicating how many people must be on board in order to take advantage of the special lane.
The idea behind it: Carpooling should be rewarded with shorter travel times. More time and fewer car journeys. In the end, travelers and the environment should win. A good thing, in theory. “We see the added value of such a track. However, the number of lanes on the autobahn is limited,” Thomas Rohrbach from the Federal Roads Office (Astra) points out.
Astra: No carpooling lanes planned
So the problem is that there is a traffic jam wherever you can overtake the traffic jam and get a head start. And with that there are capacity problems and no space for an additional track.
At the federal level, no lanes for shared driving are currently planned, Rohrbach notes: “We will probably not see such a sign in the Astra depots today or on January 1, because there are simply no projects ready for implementation.”
The new traffic sign – a paper tiger?
The cantons and communes with their streets remain. Most of them welcomed the creation of the new traffic rule. On request, however, it sounds the same almost everywhere: “It is not possible to offer carpooling.” Or: “The road network is not suitable in our canton.” “Currently not an issue.” “Not planned.”
Most cantonal roads have only one lane in each direction. And cities in particular often want to encourage bicycles and public transport at intersections rather than driving together.
Basel, for example, says: Where there is space for a second lane, it is better to create a bus lane, bicycle lanes or, if in doubt, plant trees. This brings “a greater benefit for a city-friendly traffic development”. Shortly before its introduction, enthusiasm for the new traffic rule is close to zero.
Ticino and Geneva continue on a small scale
Support comes from Ticino, where the new idea was tested in a pilot project. Carpooling was allowed to overtake the traffic jam in the bus lane 300 meters before a border crossing. It basically works, says Ticino cantonal engineer Mirco Moser.
Legend:
Traffic sign indicating the first carsharing or car pool lane at the Brusata customs crossing near Novazzano on April 3, 2019.
Keystone/Davide Agosta
But if there are too many car pools in the bus lane, the bus will get stuck in traffic, says Moser. If more than two percent of the cars changed, that was already too much. So the potential for additional cars that are better staffed is very limited.
Nevertheless, the number of border crossings with special lanes is now to be doubled in Ticino – to two. And Geneva, which had a test track, is also testing the introduction in two other places. For the time being, it should usually remain to look at the clock when there is a traffic jam – and perhaps to talk about a special lane for carpooling, provided you are not traveling alone.