Council of States does not want to simplify the conversion of emergency lanes
Published: Tuesday, Sep 24th 2024, 11:00
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Unlike the National Council, the Council of States does not want to simplify the reuse of emergency lanes. It rejected a corresponding proposal by National Councillor Christian Imark (SVP/SO) on Tuesday without a vote. The matter is therefore off the table.
In doing so, the small chamber followed the lead of its pre-advisory Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-S), whose majority had previously recommended that the motion from the National Council be rejected.
Although the majority of the Commission is in favor of using the emergency lane to improve traffic flow or increase road safety, it is not in favor of a general conversion to increase capacity, the Commission announced in advance.
Imark successfully argued in favor of his motion in the National Council in 2019: Breakdown lane conversions could efficiently eliminate the chronic bottlenecks on the national roads. The conversions should be handled as part of simplified planning approval procedures. Today, such conversions have to undergo the same ordinary planning approval procedures that are required for the complete widening of a freeway lane.
The Federal Council continues to find this sensible because the conversion of emergency lanes generally requires major construction measures. In addition, local measures such as the use of the emergency lane as an "extended exit lane" are not subject to the national road planning approval procedure anyway.
Switzerland's national roads are having to cope with more and more traffic. Last year, there were 48,807 hours of congestion. That was 22.4 percent more than in 2022 and thus more than ever before. According to the Federal Roads Office (Astra), freeways, motorways and third-class national roads account for just under three percent of the entire road network, but handle a good 45 percent of all vehicle kilometers driven.
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