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More roads would bring more traffic – that’s what opponents of the expansion plans argue. The people have the last word.
For the “Stop Autobahn Construction Mania” alliance under the leadership of the VCS, it is clear: whoever sows more roads will reap more traffic.
That’s why we need to rethink transport planning, says Green National Councilor and Umverkehr co-president Franziska Ryser: “The 5.3 billion should be better invested in sustainable forms of transport – for a shift from road to rail.”
Bourgeois transport politicians see it differently. “Mobility is growing because the population and the economy are growing,” says SVP National Councilor Thomas Hurter.
You should therefore not play off the different means of transport against each other, but rather trains and Expand the road. And when it comes to roads, expansion is important where traffic is particularly often jammed today. After all, the traffic jams cost the economy billions every year, says Hurter.
More roads – more traffic?
It is difficult to answer whether more roads bring more traffic, says traffic planner Carsten Hagedorn. He is a professor of traffic planning at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences.
The car is becoming more attractive – and that plays a role in the choice of means of transport.
After all, roads would be built where there is demand. It’s the chicken-and-egg question: What came first: the traffic or the road?
After all, new roads would shorten travel time, says Hagedorn. “That’s why the car is becoming more attractive – and that plays a role in the choice of means of transport.” And that in turn might lead to more traffic on the expanded route.
Traffic jams again after a few years
The example of the expansion of the Baregg Tunnel on the A1 in the canton of Aargau shows what an expansion can achieve: the third tunnel tube was opened here in 2004. This reduced traffic jam hours for many years.
But since around 2018 there have been frequent traffic jams in the Baregg tunnel area again. “Because the capacity that was created was increasingly being used,” says Hagedorn. That’s why there have been increasing traffic jams in the Baregg area since 2018.
In addition: If there isn’t a traffic jam in front of the Baregg these days, the cars might now be parked a few kilometers further east at the Gubristtunnel. An expansion is already underway there too: the newly built third tube has been in operation since April 2023, and the two old tunnels are now being renovated. The expansion of Zurich’s northern bypass should be completed at the end of 2027.
Opponent: Promote home office
Proponents of the planned further expansion of the motorways also argue that an expansion could also relieve pressure on the surrounding streets. Because there are more cars on the highways.
For those opposed to the expansion, however, other concepts are needed: for example, car sharing or home office should be more strongly promoted.