Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The sometimes confusing forest of road signs is to be overhauled and modernized, the Swiss government’s Federal Roads Office (Fedro) has announced. The consultations will run until 15 May.
The number of road signs is to be reduced to the minimum needed for safety. Among the major recommendations are to take down the “General Speed Limit 50km” signs at the entrance to municipalities in favour of the municipalities’ name sign, which would signal the beginning of the speed limit. This is in line with European standards.
“Danger: pedestrian crossing” is a sign that warns drivers of a poorly visible crossing. The dangerous crossings are meant to be redesigned or withdrawn completely, so the signs will go.
The sign warning drivers of low-flying or taxiing airplanes will be taken down, as will motorway entry signs that warn drivers of merging traffic. Signs in general will be modernized and human figures made gender-neutral.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss Federal Road Office (Fedro) is proposing a series of steps to cut down the number of accidents each year. More than 20,000 accidents on Swiss roads cause almost 400 deaths every year and many more serious injuries.
Government’s safer roads proposals consultation ends in March
The package of proposals, called Via Sicura , is winding its way through the mandatory Swiss political consultation process. The 60-odd proposals include improving road infrastructure, changing laws and toughening procedures. Among measures being considered:
Traffic jams a thing of the past, of course
Lausanne, Switzerland (Genevalunch) – The motorway roadworks that have last several months, between Morges and Ecublens on the A1 autoroute, are nearing completion. The Federal Roads Office (Fedro) says that the third lane (bande d’arrêt d’urgence - emergency lane) will be activated after 16:00 for afternoon rush hour traffic from Monday 18 January onwards. It will be activated permanently from 25 January onwards.
A1 to be partially closed Sunday 17 January
Fedro advises that Lausanne-bound lanes will be closed between Morges and Ecublens Sunday 17 January from 20:00 to 05:00 the following morning. The Geneva-bound lanes will be closed on the same stretch from 23:00 to 05:00.
Road safety test in action
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Fatal road accidents due to driving under the influence of alcohol have dropped 45 percent since the introduction in 2005 of the 0.5 per thousand blood alcohol limit.
Almost 15 percent of all road deaths are still due to drunk driving, and the main offenders are men, the young, and habitual drinkers, according to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, BPA, in a campaign coordinated with the cantonal police forces to raise public awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.
State of national motorway network, 2009. Fedro
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A new 2.8km stretch of the national motorway network south of Zurich has opened, filling a gap that connects northeastern Switzerland with Lucerne. Lucerne is now 35 minutes by road from Zurich on a good day. The federal roads office (Fedro) says the new road through the region of Knonau, southwest of Zurich, will lighten traffic on the cantonal and local roads in that area, and generally make traffic between northeastern Switzerland and the southern parts of the country easier.
But it will also have a negative impact on some parts of the autoroute, with the new connection likely to attract more traffic on Zurich’s northern A1 bypass which will only later be widened to six lanes, as well as on access roads to Lucerne.
Western bypass of Zurich, recently opened. Fedro
Autoroute A1, soon to become a six-laner
Image: Swiss highway department
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The final stage of the the roadworks on the A1 autoroute between Morges and Ecublens begins early October when workers put in place a new electronic road signage system, to be completed in December 2009. The Swiss Federal Roads Office (Fedro) announced 30 September that the roadworks will require them to close the autoroute at night at times. It involves adding traffic density sensors that will determine when a third lane in each direction should open. Details of the closures will be given ahead of time.
The current 10-35 minute delays between Aubonne and Lausanne (direction: Lausanne) are expected to drop to 5-20 minutes for the last three months of the year, matching the delays heading in the other direction.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Ongoing roadworks on the A9 between Vennes and Villeneuve will slow down traffic between 9:00 and 16:00 every day, but two lanes will be open during rush hours. The Fedro, Federal Roads Office, has a site dedicated to these roadworks. Roadworks between Morges and Ecublens to build a third lane in the emergency lane are also ongoing.
Intercity trains between Olten and Basel (Ger) will not run some nights after 21:30 from 31 August to 30 October, the CFF announced 26 August, due to a refurbishment of the tracks. Alternatives are the Interregional trains and the S-3 light rail train. And for commuters in Lausanne the stretch between Lausanne and La Conversion will be shut down completely from 4 September at 20:30 to 7 September at 05:30, says the CFF.
