Major Swiss highway programme changes announced
Annual highway tax/sticker to jump from CHF40 to 100 by 2015
GENEVA / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The roadworks weren’t welcome at the time, but the switch in Morges from two to three lanes during rush hour, using emergency lanes, has been such a success at reducing traffic jams that the Federal Highway Office plans to set up the same system in Geneva and Lausanne.
The measure is part of a series of highway improvements announced by Bern Wednesday 18 January, with the focus on shifting 378km of cantonal roads to the national highway system by 2014, to better needs today that are the result of a series of urban developments over the past five decades.
Morges again has special treatment, with the office adding a Morges bypass to the list of projects to be developed sooner rather than later, to ease the growing congestion in the Crissier area. The cost: CHF220 million. Details of a likely bypass, published in 2009, call for a larger loop from Morges Ouest (west) to Ecublens.
The A1 around Morges was given three lanes in 2009, for rush hours
The package includes traffic flow improvements for Coppet-Le Vengeron, at a cost of CHF175m.
The number of kilometres driven on Swiss autoroutes has doubled since 1990. Recent studies show a 34 percent increase in 2010 in the number of hours of traffic jams, to 15,910, compared to 2009 In the next 18 years, some 400km of autoroute will regularly suffered congestion.
The Morges area switch to three lanes during rush hours has improved traffic flow, the highway department says, lowered the accident rate by 15 percent in general and 80 percent locally, and it has also brought about a 20 percent reduction in pollution next to roads: CO, CO2 and NOx emissions.
Bern and Winterthur will see their emergency lanes changed in the near future, with Geneva and Lausanne, but also several other areas including stretches along Lake Zurich, scheduled for later.
Automatic signals to reduce speed for better traffic flow to go from 85km to 400km
Woman killed near Founex, cyclist killed, driver caught going 201 kph on Valais autoroute
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The long weekend in most of Switzerland, for Easter holidays, has seen a number of incidents on highways and local roads, including a fatal accident near Coppet, canton Vaud, on the A1 autoroute. A cyclist in Geneva was injured when he was hit by a car on the Rue de Lausanne, and two men were stopped for driving at very high speeds in canton Valais.
Woman killed at 9pm Sunday while walking on autoroute
A woman in her fifties was killed after being hit by a car while walking along the A1 autoroute on the Jura side (direction: Geneva) Sunday night 24 April, for unknown reasons. Police have not released any information about her identity. She was hit near Chavannes-des-Bois, near the Coppet/Founex/Divonnes exit, at 21:00.
Her body was thrown across the autoroute and was subsequently hit by several drivers on the lake side of the road.
The autoroute was closed between Vengeron and Coppet, except for one lane in the direction of Geneva, on the Jura side of the road.
Cyclist killed near Satigny, another cyclist injured on Rue de Lausanne in Geneva – driver flees
A 76-year-old man was killed at a roundabout between Meyrin and Satigny, near Geneva, Saturday afternoon when a 22-year-old driver hit the back of his bike for reasons not yet clear. Police are asking for witnesses to contact them at 0+41 22 427 6450.
A second Geneva accident involving a cyclist occurred late Saturday in the city centre. A driver who was headed in the direction of Versoix left the scene of the accident Saturday night near number 14, Rue de Lausanne in Geneva, after hitting the back of a bicycle that was in the pedestrian crosswalk, at 23:05. The 28-year-old woman cyclist fell from her bike and was injured. Witnesses say the car was a dark station wagon, number plates not identifiable. Police in Geneva are asking for witnesses to phone +41 22 427 6450.
Two young men lose licenses on same stretch of A9, near Fully
Canton Valais Police stopped two drivers within seconds, on the same stretch of A9 autoroute near Fully Sunday 24 April at 14:30. The first, a Portuguese man, age 26, was clocked at 201 kph, heading towards Sion. The second, a 23-year-old man from Valais, was clocked at 174 kpm. The speed limit on the autoroute is 120 kph. Police took their driver’s licenses on the spot and they are being handed over to the cantonal public attorney for prosecution as well as the highway department, which has responsibility for licenses and fines related to speeding.
Easter weekend: sunshine, warm temperatures iln most of Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The weather forecast for Switzerland is for sunshine and more of it, with a few drops of rain in northeastern Switzerland on Sunday 24 April. Lows of 6-7C and highs of 23 in Geneva to 26 in most other areas. The southeast corner of the country, around Samedan, is the one chilly patch, with temperatures of -2 to 14C.
Easter Friday and Monday traffic on roads: expect delays, look for alternative routes
School holidays began in a dozen cantons Thursday afternoon, and traffic began to build up quickly on roads heading south. By Friday morning at 08:00 the logjam on the north side of the St Gotthard tunnel was already 4 km long, with a one-hour wait. Friday is expected to be a heavy travel day on all main roads in Switzerland, so expect slowdowns.
Road forecasts are available in French from TCS (Touring Club Suisse), which suggests that drivers heading south from French-speaking areas use alternatives to the St Gotthard, which is a main European north-south road, taking for example the Grand St Bernard route. The Swiss Highway Office’s web site for trucks is updated every minute or so, giving real-time information on traffic situations, one of the best sites for this. TSR, Swiss public television, also has good traffic situation maps.
Schools that have been on spring break for the past two weeks, including many in Geneva and Vaud, return Tuesday, and Monday is forecast to be a very heavy traffic day on roads.
Airports and roads to them are also expected to be busier than usual, so build in extra travel time.
The CFF rail company recommends reserving ahead for international trains.
Running a car in Switzerland is about to cost more, but the roads will remain in good shape, says Bern
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland will integrate another 400 km of roads into the federal road system by 2015, but at a cost: the larger network plus growing traffic will cost the Swiss Confederation some CHF275 million francs in maintenance.
The financing solution decided on by the Federal Council is to introduce a two-tiered road tax for the autoroute, the Swiss equivalent of tolls. An annual tax sticker will cost CHF100 rather than today’s CHF40 and a two-month CHF40 sticker, mainly for tourists, will be added.
Bern says it is also considering introducing an electronic tax system, where a license plate is registered in the system and scanned by autoroute cameras.
The two-tiered system will require more surveillance, the council notes.
The package of new measures now goes to interested groups for consultation, since the changes require an amendment to the law.
The roads that will become part of the system are:
- H21 Martigny – Gd. St-Bernard
- H15 Schaffhausen – Thayngen
- H6 Bern/Schönbühl – Biel
- H20 Neuchâtel -Le Locle – Col des Roches
- H223 Spiez – Kandersteg
- H509 Goppenstein – Gampel
- H338 (Hirzel) Baar – Wädenswil
- H394 Mendrisio – Stabio / Gaggiolo
- H406, H13 Bellinzona – Locarno
- H14 Grüneck – Meggenhus
- Semi-autoroute cantonale A53 Brüttisellen – Wetzikon – Rüti
- Semi-autoroute cantonale A53 Rüti ZH – Reichenburg
- H8 St. Gallen – Winkeln – Appenzell
- H18 Delémont Est – Hagnau
- H17 Niederurnen – Glarus
- H2 Pratteln – Liestal – Sissach
- H5 Aarau – Aarau-Ost
- H417, H3 Thusis – Silvaplana
- H10 Thielle – Murten
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Gas station shops along autoroutes and main highways in Switzerland could soon sell goods all night, if the federal taxation and finance committee of the lower house of parliament has its way. It is recommending that the stations’ staff be allowed to sell not only restaurant food and petrol during the night but also goods such as food that are sold during the day.
The stations on these roads are currently obliged to rope off part of their shop areas at night, even when they remain open.
Other stretches of Swiss autoroute are studying the Morges-Lausanne solution of adding 2 lanes during rush hour
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Projects such as the third rail line between Vaud and Geneva, considered urgent in the region but far down the long 20-year list of Swiss transport projects, will now be able, in exceptional cases, to get advance funding. The lower house of the Swiss parliament Tuesday joined the upper house in voting to extend CHF850 million in credit to the transport infrastructure fund, to avoid a cash flow crunch as projects become urgent ahead of their scheduled funding. The third rail line is one such exceptional case, with population and workforce growth in the region outstripping planning figures.
The fund was created in 2008 to finance special projects designed to reduce road traffic congestion in cities, larger urban areas and on the autoroutes.
Parliament also voted to spend CHF1.51 billion on 26 projects to improve transport in urban areas. Some CHF1.51 of the money goes to the most urgent projects to reduce traffic jams on autoroutes.
Swiss voters likely to have their say on more public transport funding
Popular initiative for public transport: 140,000 signatures handed to Bern
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss voters will probably have their say about increasing funds for public transport. A group called ATE (Transport and Environment Association) and 20 partner groups Monday 6 September handed in 140,000 signatures, an unusually high number for a popular or citizens’ initiative, that calls for more money to be spent on public transport and less on highways. The signatures were handed to the federal chancellery.
The federal tax on mineral oils is currently cut three ways, with the general federal budget taking a slice. The remainder is divided between highways, with 75 percent, and public transport, which receives 25 percent. The new initiative would redistribute that money: the remainder would be shared 50-50 by roads and public transport.
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.
Switzerland winter holidays traffic jam areas, times
Jura in its winter glory
Jura snow! see additional photos with Jura report, below
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The main news this weekend: expect snow! That sounds good, but it promises to come with something less welcome, the potential for major traffic problems. The Swiss federal government has issued its annual end-January winter holidays traffic predictions, so be prepared. Peak times are Saturdays 08:00-15:00 heading south and Saturdays 10:00-16:00 plus Sundays 15:00-20:00 heading north.
Expect heavy traffic and slowdowns in these areas
Heading south
- A1 Sankt Margrethen – Genève: between Zurich and Berne
- A2 Basel – Chiasso: customs, Bâle/Weil am Rhein, between the Belchen tunnel and the interchange at Haerkingen, north entrance to the St Gothard tunnel
- A3 Basel – Zurich: customs, Basel/Saint-Louis interchange, la Wiese
- A6/A8 Berne – Interlaken: Thoune-Interlaken
- A9 Lausanne – Sion: Lausanne-Vevey
- A13 Sargans – Bellinzone: Sarganserland-Landquart, between Chur/Coire-Sud and Reichenau, north entrance to San Bernardino tunnel
- contournements/ bypasses around Bern (A1/A6), Lausanne (A1/A9) and Zurich (A1/A3)
Heading north
- A1 Genève – Sankt Margrethen: Berne-Zurich
- A2 Chiasso – Basel: south entrance to Saint-Gotthard tunnel between Reiden and Wiggertal ramp, customs at Basel/Weil am Rhein
- A3 Sargans – Basel: à la douane de Bâle/Saint-Louis
- A8/A6 Interlaken – Thoune: Interlaken-Spiez
- A8 Sarnen – Hergiswil: Alpnachstad-Lopper ramp
- A9 Martigny – Lausanne: between Bex and Glion tunnel
- A13 Bellinzone – Sargans: south entrance to San Bernardino tunnel, between Rothenbrunnen and Reichenau, between Zizers and Sarganserland ramp
- contournements/bypasses for Bern (A1/A6), Lausanne (A1/A9) and Zurich (A3/A1).
Jura report, from Shirley Curran
All week, as usual, we have skied above the clouds that enshroud the Geneva basin. Conditions in the Jura are spectacular. The hard packed base has had sprinklings of new snow and the weather has been glacial with wonderful views of trees all clothed in white. Colder, snowy weather is now predicted for a few days – that is good news for us!
Ed. note: GenevaLunch will be adding a report from the Alps during the weekend, including coverage from the Chateau d’Oex Balloon Festival.
Update 21:20 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The proverbial sweet tooth could soon be replaced by sweet wheels in Switzerland, the kind that roll along sugar-covered highways. Authorities in canton Bern have confirmed that they have been using a liquid sugar-based product instead of salt on the A6 autoroute between Rubigen and Spiez, in a two-year test programme that is going well, canton Bern roads supervisor Martin Roesti told GenevaLunch.
The product being used is made by a British company, Safecote, and is manufactured in Italy. Parts of the US, Canada, Norway and Iceland use the liquid sugar on their roads. Switzerland is testing it, says Roesti, because at lower temperatures it is more effective than salt chloride. It is also less aggressive and doesn’t lead to potholes the way salt does.
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) – France’s autoroute companies will, for the first time in recent years, coordinate the announcement of changes in toll booth charges that will go into effect in February. The new rates for motorway driving in France will be announced 27 January. In early 2009 drivers of light vehicles saw their rates increase by 3 percent, while they went down 13 percent for trucks. This year rates are expected to rise in order to finance major roadworks, according to an official cited by newspaper Le Figaro.
In related news: Swiss and French drivers who have ignored parking fees when they crossed the border could find it is harder to duck paying, with the two countries’ agreement to help each other in this area going into effect this month.
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The summer travel season begins in earnest 30 June and the Swiss federal government has issued its list of roads and dates when travelers can expect heavy traffic.
Les axes routiers et les jours présentant un fort risque de perturbations sont les suivants :
Autoroutes
Heading south
- A1 St Margrethen – Geneva, between Zurich and Bern, between Lausanne and Morges (roadworks), customs at Geneva/Bardonnex
- A2/E35 Basel – Chiasso – Milan: Bâle/Weil am Rhein customs, between the Belchen tunnel and the Wiggertal junction, between Erstfeld before the north end of the Saint Gotthard (see Gotthard below), the Chiasso/Brogeda customs, to the Como/Grandate toll booth
- A3 Basel – Zurich: between Basel/Saint-Louis customs and the Wiese junction
- A13 Sargans – Bellinzona: between entre Nufenen and Hinterrhein (roadworks), to the north entrance of the San Bernardino tunnel
- Ring roads around Bern (A1/A6), Lausanne (A1/A9) and Zurich (A1/A3)
Times when you can expect traffic jams
Fridays between 15:00 and 21:00 and Saturday from 08:00 to 16:00
Dates with particularly heavy traffic
July: 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25
August: 1
Heading north
- A1 Geneva – St. Margrethen: Geneva/Bardonnex customs, betwee entre Morges and Lausanne (roadworks), between Bern and Zurich
- A2/E35 Milan – Chiasso – Basel: from the Como/Grandate toll booth to the Chiasso/Brogeda customs, between Quinto and the south entrance to the Saint-Gothard tunnel, between Reiden and the Härkingen junction, to customs at Basel/Weil am Rhein
- A3 Sargans – Zurich – Basel: between Zurich/Brunau and the end of the autoroute, Basel/Saint-Louis customs
- A4a Zoug – Sihlbrugg: between Baar and the end of the autoroute at Sihlbrugg
- A9 Martigny – Lausanne: between Bex and the Glion tunnel
- A13 Bellinzone – Coire: at the southern entrance to the San Bernardino tunnel, between Hinterrhein and Nufenen (roadworks)
- Ring roads around Bern (A1/A6), Lausanne (A1/A9) and Zurich (A1/A3)
Times when you can expect traffic jams
Fridays 15:00-21:00, Saturdays 10:00-20:00 and Sundays from 13:00 to 20:00
Dates with particularly heavy traffic
July: 11, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 31
August: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29
September: 5
Saint Gotthard tunnel
Heading south
Tailbacks are likely at the north end of the tunnel on these dates: Friday 3 July from 12:00-24:00, Saturday 4 July 05:00-18:00. The nights of 10-11 and 17-18 and 24-25 July, non-stop from Friday 12:00 to Saturday 18:00. Traffic jams are also possible Saturdays from 08:00-16:00 during August and up to mid-eptember, as well as Sundays in July from 10:00-16:00.
The entrances to the Göschenen, Monday to Thursday during July, noon to 20:00 are also likely to have traffic jams.
Heading north
Traffic jams can be expected at the south entrance to the tunnel these days: Fridays, 10-31 July from 12:00-22:00, 7-14 August from 10:00-23:00, 21 August to 4 September from 13:00-20:00, Saturdays 11-25 July from 10:00-22:00, 1 August and 8 August from 09:00-01:00, 15 August to 5 September, 10:00-21:00, Sundays, 19 July to 6 September, 11:00-21:00.
Traffic jams could occur Saturday 4 July, 10:00-18:00. From mid-July to the end of August, traffic jams can also be expected occasionally afternoons Monday to Thursday, noon to 20:00.
Main roads inside Switzerland and customs stations
Heavier traffic can be expected on the following roads within Switzerland: Spiez-Kandersteg (start of holidays), Gampel-Goppenstein (end of holidays), Bellinzona-Locarno, Wädenswil-Hirzel-Sihlbrugg, Sihlbrugg-Zurich (Sihltal), Flüelen-Brunnen (Axenstrasse), as well as on some Alpine region roads, including main Alpines passes. Expect some delays at these customs stations: Au, Koblenz, Sankt-Margrethen and Thayngen.
For traffic updates
• Telephone in French, German and Italian: Viasuisse (No 163 – 50 cts/call+50 cts/min)
• Radio DRS/RSR/RSI
• web sites: www.tcs.ch, www.cff.ch, www.teletext.ch (rail: p 486/487, road: p 491 – 497), www.bls.ch.
There was less traffic back when this Geneva license plate was issued
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Drivers on the A9 stretch between Lausanne-Vennes and Villeneuve, the main route into the Valais, can expect delays for four months starting 15 June as urgent repairs are made to joints in several places. The road will be reduced to one lane in each direction, starting on the lake side of the road in June and on the other side in August. Two lanes but with slower speeds will be open during peak traffic hours. This stretch of autoroute has long been scheduled for major renovation from 2014-2017 due to general deterioration, and in November 2008 it was briefly closed for emergency repairs.
The new roadworks will further increase travel time in the Lausanne region, with speed limits reduced to 80kph between Morges and Ecublens due to major construction from May to December 2009.
