Number of vehicles continues to rise
The Swiss love affair with cars continues, as figures reveal the number of motor vehicles on roads has increased by almost 50 per cent over the past 20 years.
On Monday the Federal Statistics Office reported that 5.4 million motor vehicles were registered in Switzerland, up from just under four million in 1990.
The Swiss now drive 4.1 million passenger vehicles, more than one for every two of the country’s 7.8 million citizens.
Motorcycles have more than doubled in number from 299,264 vehicles in 1990 to 651,202 in 2010. The statistics office said this was due in large part to the increasing popularity of scooters, which now account for 37 per cent of two-wheeled vehicles on Swiss roads.
The number of diesel-fuelled vehicles on Swiss roads has risen 18 per cent to 739,000, while some 17,100 hybrid vehicles are also in circulation. Passenger cars using traditional petrol have been declining in popularity since 2003.
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