Switzerland mulls reducing speed limit on motorways

The Federal Roads Office (Astra) is proposing to bring down the speed limit at peak times on motorways from the current 120km per hour to 80 km/h.

The government office had announced last summer that it would test speed limits of 60km/h on certain sections of the autobahn, but this was reportedly scrapped. 

However, there are now plans to move to a system that would involve an 80km/h speed limit in place at certain times of the day. 

Astra director Jürg Röthlisberger told Swiss newspaper the Tages-Anzeiger: “In a few years we will probably not be able to avoid ordering a speed limit of 80 throughout the Mittelland (Swiss Plateau region) during rush hours to prevent permanent traffic jams."

READ ALSO: The dos and don'ts of driving in Switzerland 

Peak times are usually between 6 am and 9 am and between 4 pm and 7 pm. However, depending on the day of the week and the stretch of highway, these peak times can vary slightly, Astra media spokesman Thomas Rohrbach said.

"Factors such as vacations, public holidays or events such as trade fairs, concerts or sporting events can also have an influence on this," Rohrbach said. 

The number of hours during which there have been traffic jams on national roads has more than doubled in the last 10 years, according to figures. Two years ago there were almost 40,000 hours clocked up, with the most common cause being traffic congestion.

A speed limit of 80 km/h is already in place in some areas of the autobahn today, for example near construction sites or when a major traffic jam is foreseeable, Astro director Jürg Röthlisberger said.

“From 2026 onwards, we want to handle it systematically this way, when we have even better algorithms and we have the necessary structures such as signalling systems that make such a regime possible," he said. 

The flexible speed limit is to be implemented using electronic traffic signalling systems. By 2026, up to 2,380 kilometers of busy roads would be equipped with these systems. 

But what is the level of acceptance among the Swiss population?

“Ten years ago it would have been impossible,” the Astra director is convinced.

Of the up to 25,000 letters from citizens that the office receives every year, thousands of them used to be about the 80 km/h zones on the motorways.

Nowadays, however, these measures are accepted, said Röthlisberger 

The feedback from the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association ASTAG is positive.

“Harmonising speeds can actually help to improve traffic flow,” said deputy director André Kirchhofer. However, he emphasised the need to expand road infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Swiss businessman and politician who currently serves as a member of the National Council for the Swiss People's Party, Benjamin Giezendanner, said he doesn't believe that lowering the limit will make a positive difference.

He said: "People will simply switch to the main roads and the traffic jams will continue to spread in certain places."

“If the Astra really goes through with this, there will be an uprising,” Giezendanner said, adding that he would submit counter proposals to parliament. 

Last year, Swiss politicians proposed reducing speed limits to help slow down climate change and reduce energy consumption in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine. 

READ ALSO: Should Switzerland change motorway speed limits?

The maximum speed on Swiss motorways is 120km/h and 100km/h in some places. On cantonal road the speed limit is generally set at 80km/h, while in built up areas like cities and towns it is usually set at a max of 50km/h. Several urban areas in Switzerland are, however, reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h.

As a comparison, the maximum speed limit in Austria is 130km/h, while Germany’s autobahns famously have no speed limit in some parts.