Slow driving zones have risen sharply in Switzerland, says report
The number of zones with a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour has “exploded” in Switzerland over the last decade, according to the SonntagsBlick newspaper.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/jc
Português
pt
Cantões suíços estão transformando carros em charretes
There are no official statistics, it says, but the German-language newspaper has gathered information from several cantons.
In canton St-Gallen, excluding the cantonal capital, there are currently 92 slow driving zones, 72 of which have been created in the last ten years, it says. In canton Fribourg, there are 172 of these zones compared with 56 in 2007.
The newspaper reports that in canton Lucerne, 234 of these zones have been created in recent years. But it is canton Bern that seems to have slowed things down most. It has 493 slow zones, including 356 introduced between 2007 and 2017.
The issue is controversial in Switzerland, SonntagsBlick points out. It quotes Thomas Hurter, president of the Swiss Automobile Club, who says that “under the pretext of fighting noise, car driving is being made unattractive”.
But Christine Steinmann, head of traffic safety at the Association of Transport and Environment, says the increase in slow zones is a “vote for a better quality of life, especially for safety and co-existence on the streets”.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
This content was published on
You might expect that a dark road ahead would prompt motorists to slow down, but a study led by Swiss researchers has reached the opposite conclusion.
This content was published on
A study shows that despite their love of cars, the Swiss are open the idea of replacing private motor vehicles with other mobility options.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.