The economic umbrella organization supports the proposal for the expansion of the motorways and is now also arguing for environmental protection. A statement that polarizes.
Cars stuck in traffic would emit more CO₂ than if they could drive normally. This is the conclusion reached by new calculations from the economic umbrella organization Economiesuisse, which advocates the expansion of motorways. An expansion would therefore ensure that less CO₂ would be emitted, so the argument goes.
On November 24th, voters will decide whether almost five billion francs should be invested in the expansion of the motorway infrastructure in this country in the coming years.
KEYSTONE/Martial Trezzini
According to Economiesuisse, the expansion of national roads is also important because of climate change: “Not investing would worsen the situation and further increase the external costs of transport. Cars don’t magically disappear from the road because the infrastructure is falling apart.”
Controversial statement
Opponents of the bill see this completely differently: In their eyes, more motorways lead to more traffic and more traffic leads to more CO₂ emissions. The Green National Councilor Franziska Ryser is therefore fighting the expansion of the motorway: “Congestion may lead to more emissions than rolling traffic, but in the end what matters is how many cars are on the road. And the expansion of the motorway leads to more traffic.”
Passenger cars are responsible for over 70 percent of CO₂ emissions in traffic, while trucks and vans account for around 20 percent. For rail traffic only 0.2 percent.
SRF
Center National Councilor Philipp Bregy is fighting for motorway expansion. However, he puts Economiesuisse’s statement into perspective and sees the greatest importance for the environment in the fact that more and more electric cars are on the road. “48,000 hours of traffic jams are no more ecological than rolling traffic; they generate detours and reduce safety on side streets. In any case, the greening of transport cannot be achieved through these projects, but rather through electrification.”
Traffic jam hours are increasing
Hours of traffic jams have increased in recent years. They have doubled since 2020 and amounted to 48,807 hours in 2023. That’s around 134 hours of traffic jams a day. The main reason for this is traffic congestion.
SRF
The question of whether the motorway expansion will cause more or less traffic and traffic jams is likely to cause debate in the voting campaign.
Ultimately, the decision rests with the voters. On November 24th, this will vote on the planned expansion of six well-known bottlenecks.