Referendum submitted against highway expansion
Published: Thursday, Jan 11th 2024, 10:10
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On Thursday, the "Stop highway construction mania" alliance submitted a referendum against the expansion of Swiss highways to the Federal Chancellery. Within three months, 100,000 signatures were collected. A referendum is expected in the summer or fall.
On behalf of the referendum alliance, the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) announced on Thursday that this collection was a first major success in the fight against the highway expansion. According to the VCS, a total of 66,450 of the 100,000 signatures collected had been officially certified by the time of submission.
VCS President Ruedi Blumer was quoted as saying that the signatories have no understanding for the Federal Council and Parliament wanting to invest CHF 5.3 billion in highways in the midst of the climate crisis. Changing mobility behavior in favour of working from home, walking, cycling and public transport is the way forward. This would be much more space-efficient, healthier and climate-friendly.
"The days of freeway expansion are over," said National Councillor Franziska Ryser, Co-President of the transport policy environmental organization Umverkehr.
Support from the SP and the Greens
The referendum also came about thanks to the support of the SP and the Greens. For SP National Councillor Brenda Tuosto (VD), this is not a forward-looking policy and jeopardizes the achievement of climate targets.
In addition to the damage to the climate, Green National Councillor Florence Brenzikofer (BL) also focuses on the loss of natural space that goes hand in hand with the expansion of the freeway. Wider roads lead to the loss of cultivated land and biodiversity suffers. In addition, freeways would promote urban sprawl in Switzerland.
Expansion of the national roads
At the end of September last year, Parliament decided to build or expand highways for 5.3 billion Swiss francs. Among other things, the A1 between Bern-Wankdorf and Schönbühl BE is to be widened from the current six to eight lanes and between Schönbühl and Kirchberg BE to six lanes. The A1 between Le Vengeron GE and Nyon VD is also to be widened to six lanes.
A broad alliance of environmental organizations took the referendum against it. The "Stop freeway construction madness" alliance is made up of 29 organizations, associations and parties. It is led by the VCS and the transport policy environmental organization Umverkehr.
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