The Swiss really get around

Driving for pleasure, at the opening of the A1 motorway in Vaud swissinfo.ch

Some 265 million kilometres - that is how far the Swiss population travelled every day in 2000, according to a new survey.

Nearly half the journeys were for leisure activities, said the authors of the Swiss mobility study, which was carried out jointly by the Federal Office of Statistics and the Federal Office for Territorial Development.

The daily distance travelled represents a 30 per cent increase since 1984.

Hardly anyone stays at home during the day. Ninety per cent of people aged six or over travelled 84 minutes each day in 2000, covering an average of 38 kilometres, up from 29 in 1984. In all, the average person travelled 13,600 km last year, with the figure rising to 17,400 km with trips abroad.

Almost half (44 per cent) of the distance travelled was for leisure activities, equivalent to 300 times the distance from the Earth to the moon. The second most popular reason to travel was for work or education (29 per cent), followed by shopping (11 per cent).

Preferring the car

Although the car was by far the most popular mode of transport, used for 70 per cent of overall journeys, followed by public transport at 18 per cent, the survey also highlighted the popularity of walking and cycling. Nearly 50 per cent of daily trips were made on foot or by bicycle, compared with 40 per cent by motor vehicle and 10 per cent by public transport.

The popularity of the car was confirmed by the fact that 80 per cent of Swiss households have one car and 30 per cent have more than one, but the survey also revealed that in highly populated towns, one quarter of the households do not own a car.

There is also continuing support for the Swiss government’s transport policy, with most people satisfied with the road network and in favour of promoting transport.

swissinfo with agencies