LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A 62-year-old man died Monday afternoon following an accident at the Montreux exit of the A1 autoroute in the direction of Villeneuve. The driver lost control of his car for reasons that are not yet clear, say Vaud police. The car hit the exit sign after swerving on the road and the motor was thrown 50m as a result of the impact.
Rescue workers spent nearly 1.5 hours freeing the man from the car, during which time an emergency doctor treated him, before he was taken to a local hospital, then to the Chuv, where he later died.
The autoroute exit was closed until 13.40.
Earlier in the day a serious accident involving three vehicles created a traffic jam of several km in the other direction, shortly after the Blecherette exit.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Weekend drivers heading in the direction of Valais from Lausanne on the A1 are being urged by Vaud police to use extra caution in the Blecherette-Venne area, with changes to the lanes Friday, as part of ongoing roadworks. Part, but not all, of the lane-marking work after resurfacing was done during the nights of Wednesday to Thursday, causing some confusion Thursday.
The right lane, shortly after the Blecherette exit is now an exit-only lane and drivers must get off the autoroute at Venne (hospitals exit) if they are in that lane: police point out that switching back to the other lanes across hatched markings is extremely dangerous and illegal; they will be watching traffic for this.
Drivers heading in the direction of Vevey and Valais must use the two left lanes.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Police in canton Vaud are seeking witnesses to a Wednesday evening accident in which a young woman suffered critical head injuries near the Bussigny autoroute exit that heads towards Echandens. Police are looking, in particular, for other pedestrians who were at the site Wednesday evening at 17:40 and who can provide information about the lights changing.
A woman was driving down the centre lane on the Route de Crissier shortly after the autoroute junction and just before the junction with the Route de Bruyère when she hit a pedestrian who was using the pedestrian crossing.
The young woman was thrown into the car’s windshield before hitting the ground head first. She was airlifted by the Rega to Lausanne’s Chuv university hospitals and Thursday morning her life was considered to be in danger.
Several emergency vehicles were called to the area. Traffic getting off the A1 at Crissier and Bussigny, as well as at the Villars-Ste-Croix autoroute junction was backed up for several kilometres shortly after the accident, which occurred at rush hour.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute, already slowed considerably by major summer roadworks, was badly jammed Monday 19 July in the early afternoon by an accident involving a military convoy between Yverdon and Lausanne, in the direction of Lausanne.
A military truck with trailer veered to the right and off the road, flipping over and injuring three of the four soldiers, near the Bavois truck stop. A Neuchatel car hit the trailer, but its occupant was uninjured.
The stretch of road where the accident occurred is open but hilly. Police have not yet determined the cause of the accident.
Truck veers off A9 near Martigny, car flips off A1 in rush hour near Rolle
Spectacular police chase for thieves of BMW, 40 cigarette cartons on A9
Rainbow next to the A9: police caution that drivers need to remember to slow down when dry weather is followed by showers
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – “Drivers need to remember to leave more distance and to reduce their speed when the roads are wet,” cautions Vaud police spokesman Philippe Jaten, in the wake of a series of accidents in the region this week. “And in particular to make sure their seat belts are fastened,” he adds. Jaten says it is difficult to say, looking at a short time, if the number of accidents is higher, but “we’ve seen some spectacular ones.”
Three serious accidents occurred in 36 hours on the A9, in Vaud and Valais, the most recent at 14:30 Tuesday at Charrat near Martigny. A truck veered off the road for unknown reasons, as the driver headed from Sion to Martigny. He had to be cut from his vehicle and was taken to hospital in Sion. Traffic was reduced to two lanes after the accident.
Slow down, leave space on rainy roads
Vaud’s rain-pelted roads this morning likely played a role in a one-car accident on the A1 autoroute at rush hour, between Aubonne and Rolle, heading towards Geneva.
A1 Autoroute
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The federal highway office and canton Vaud Tuesday issued a reminder to motorists using the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne: the 80 kph speed limit must be observed, and drivers should keep at least 50 metres between cars.
The warning comes as roadworks get underway to repair the road surface, for workers’ safety. The re-surfacing will take about a month and the road is reduced to one lane on each side at times.
4,500 fines, 137 licenses lifted during May on Lausanne-Yverdon stretch
Flat roads,open fields: drivers like to speed on the Yverdon-Lausanne A1 (photo, Liam Bates on flickr)
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The repairs on the Lausanne-Yverdon stretch of the A1 autoroute have prompted police to lower the speed limit to 80 kph to protect road workers, but motorists have not received the message, it appears. P0lice took away driver’s licenses from 137 people during May, for being well over the speed limit, and they fined another 4,500, out of the 73,000 clocked on the road. The worst offender was driving 148 kph.
Large panels reminding drivers to slow down are being posted, with the number of fines and license removals listed to drive home the message.
Ed. note: Vaud police are taking part in a 2010 national campaign to get drivers to slow down, called Slow Down, Take it Easy. Try their online interactive test to see how long it takes to come to a stop, starting from different speeds, with varying road conditions.
Three lanes: now two again, for a month, on the A1 near Morges-Lausanne
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Prepare for summer traffic jams: the A1 autoroute between Morges Ouest (west) and Lausanne is about to undergo surgery that will last until 25 June. The facelift reduces traffic to two lanes in each direction fom 06:00-20:00 and one lane each way during the night.
The A1 has operated far more smoothly since the start of 2010 when months of roadworks were completed, giving it three lanes in each direction during rush hour. The combination of heavy equipment and a colder than usual winter damaged the surface of the existing lanes, however, and these now need to be removed and the roads re-covered. The highway department notes that even when it appears that there are no workers the lanes are closed for a good reason, as it can take several days for the surface to harden fully.
The new roadworks will add to the headaches of travellers between Morges and Villeneuve, given the heavy roadworks scheduled along the A9 between Lausanne and Villeneuve. Long stretches in each direction have been reduced to a single lane.
Update 12:00 Geneva / Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute into Geneva had very heavy traffic Thursday morning, due to a combination of the Geneva Motor Show (Nyon to Geneva tailback) and an accident between Gland and Nyon which blocked the hard shoulder. Traffic was back to normal by noon.
For updates, check the federal truck alerts site, updated every few minutes.
A1 heading into Lausanne, from Morges, three lanes as a temporary measure, January 2010
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The problem of congested roads in regions where some of Switzerland’s worst traffic jams occur inched closer to a solution Friday, when a commission of the Swiss upper house of Parliament agreed to modify regulations governing how certain national road funds are spent.
The commission had asked for a report on how cantons would help fund projects in congested road areas, such as the stretch of A1 autoroute between Versoix and Geneva, and the A1/A9 roads around Lausanne, which routinely have heavy traffic buildups. The problems are expected to worsen in the next 10 years, with the Lake Geneva region one of the fastest growing in Switzerland.
A1, Morges, at dusk Monday 18 January
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The first week of the A1 autoroute’s new six-lane stretch being open has gone smoothly, with no incidents or accidents, reports the Swiss highway department. Signals opening a third lane in each direction between Morges and Lausanne light up automatically once there are more than 36 cars per kilometre. The system became operational Monday 18 January, but only in the afternoon. It will be used around the clock starting Monday 25 January.
Geneva to Lausanne traffic slowed significantly Wednesday afternoon, evening
Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute from Geneva to Lausanne came close to a standstill late Wednesday afternoon thanks to urgent repairs on the Pont de l’Asse bridge, before Nyon. The joints on the bridge were repaired urgently some days ago, and the temporary measure was expected to last until a more permanent solution, scheduled for the end of January. The temporary patch did not hold, however, and the Tribune de Geneve quotes a spokesperson for the federal roads office as saying they will use fast-drying glue and a plate to cover the problem area.
Roadworks will last 40 days on A1
A1 at dusk, rush hour 18 January and three lanes open, near Morges
A1 Morges exit, dusk 18 January, 3 lanes into 2
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Rush hour Monday evening on the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne was a rare sight: traffic flowed, all three lanes of it in each direction. The extra new lanes, which function only when traffic demands it, were open, with new signage working, responding to real time traffic flow.
Several months of roadworks ended in December but the new system became operational early Monday and by day’s end traffic was flowing more smoothly than it has in years, at 18:00.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A Vaud man, in his 40s, was killed when his car crashed into a wall at the entrance to the Arrissoules tunnel on the A1 autoroute, Monday 4 January at 23:40. Police are still trying to determine the speed at which he was traveling and the cause of the accident. He was driving in the direction of Bern and was in the left passing lane when his car veered to the right for unknown reasons, hitting the emergency lane concrete wall at high speed. The autoroute was closed for three hours to allow rescue services to cut the man, who was killed on impact, out of his car and to allow police to record details of the accident.
A1 autoroute roadworks near Morges, Switzerland
Morges / Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Workers have now completed a key part of the roadworks to widen the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne thanks to a series of night closings. A system of 120 variable signs and 40 fixed ones have been put in place, a system with 8 kilometres of cables and 850 electrical connections.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Swiss highway authorities have announced 17 dates when the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne will be partially or totally closed. The third and final phase of the roadworks to widen the highway involves adding an automatic traffic flow signalling system and the road must be closed at times to allow workers to complete the job. Dates are listed here and details are available on the autoroute’s web site.
New temporary stoppages
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne and the A9 between Montreux and Villeneuve will be closed Tuesday night to allow major roadworks. From 20:30 to 05:30 the A1 in the direction of Geneva will be closed, with traffic moved to the lake road. A lane will be left open in the direction of Lausanne. Emergency joints work on the Lausanne-Villeneuve stretch will require closing the A9 three times this week in the direction of Villeneuve, the first time Tuesday night, from 22:00 ot 05:30, from Chexbres to Villeneuve. Traffic will be rerouted to the lake road.
Background: “Autoroute works to begin Monday“, 02 July 2009, GenevaLunch
Morges on the A1 autoroute
Valais traffic jam: driver watches a movie on his dashboard
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If you’re driving on the A1 Geneva-Lausanne or the A9 Lausane-Valais this weekend, build in extra time, no matter where you’re going, if the trip involves the autoroute.
For the past few days roadworks have been creating tailbacks around Morges (mostly small), between Vevey and Villeneuve (mostly acute on the lake side) and around St Maurice (moderate to bad) on the Italian Alps side.
Updated 14 January 08:45 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - One of Switzerland’s most heavily traveled road sections, between Morges and Ecublens in Vaud, will get some relief starting in 2010, the federal government said Tuesday afternoon: drivers in both directions will be allowed to use the emergency lane under a project that will be evaluated at the end of a year to see if it reduces the number of accidents and keeps traffic flowing more smoothly.
Snow is accumulating in many areas, especially above 500 metres
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Roadworks around Versoix on the A1 autoroute (direction: towards Geneva) ended by mid-morning, but traffic has been slowed in both directons by accidents.
Payerne, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A driver and his passenger were uninjured when a plastic pole, used to mark the roads in snowy conditions, crashed through their car window on the A1.
Founex, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A serious accident on the A1 autoroute, direction Geneva, occurred shortly after noon and has badly blocked traffic, already snarled from roadworks (tree-trimming) that move traffic into one lane for a few hundred metres. The accident occurred between Versoix and Geneva, near the Le Vengeron overpass.
