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The Federal Council has decided on the next steps in the „Traffic ’45“ project during its recent session, thereby continuing its previous course in transport policy, as recently reported by the Verkehrs-Club Schweiz. Despite the clear vote of the population against the expansion of highways, the government is sticking to planned projects in Bern, Basel, and Eastern Switzerland. Additionally, it plans to advance further expansions in Aargau. These decisions have faced sharp criticism from the VCS Verkehrs-Club of Switzerland.
VCS Co-President Jelena Filipovic commented on the Federal Council’s decisions, describing them as ignorance of the will of the people. „The electorate has demanded a halt to highway expansion with its ’no‘ vote, yet the Federal Council ignores this verdict and continues as before. This is an affront to direct democracy and a dangerous decision at the expense of future generations. Moreover, it wastes money,“ said Filipovic.
A survey conducted by the polling institute Demoscope on behalf of the VCS shows that nearly 60 percent of the population demands the expansion of public transport and cycling infrastructure instead of new highways. The report „Traffic ’45“ also demonstrates that a sustainable transport future can be achieved through better utilization of existing infrastructure, according to the association.
The VCS criticizes that the Federal Council clings to an outdated concept aimed at expanding roads and thus increasing traffic and CO₂ emissions: „Instead of mobility that is climate- and land-saving and serves the people, the Federal Council relies on the old and outdated recipe: more (and wider) roads, more traffic, more expansion, and more CO₂,“ the association stated in a press release.
