Switzerland to impose temporary speed limits on large stretches of motorway

People driving in Switzerland now spend twice as much time in traffic jams as they did in 2019. The federal government is therefore trying to combat this by introducing more speed restrictions on Swiss motorways. 

FEDRO to implement more temporary speed restrictions on Swiss motorways

Last year, drivers in Switzerland spent a record 55.500 hours sitting in traffic jams, Blick reports, and the majority of those traffic jams were down to congestion on Swiss motorways. To try to curb Switzerland’s increasing traffic problem, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is proposing a measure that will prove unpopular with a lot of drivers: implementing widespread speed restrictions.

Under the new plan, speed limits will be reduced from 120 to 80 kilometres per hour on stretches of road when they become congested. Drivers would be notified of the reduced speed limit via overhead electronic road signs, and the restriction would be lifted as soon as traffic starts to flow more freely. 

80 km/h speed limit could apply on half of all highways if needed 

Currently, these temporary speed restrictions are already taking place on 1.015 so-called “directional kilometres” of motorway (550 kilometres in each direction), up from 300 directional kilometres in 2020. FEDRO told Blick that its current plan is to double this figure in the long-term, taking it up to 2.200 directional kilometres with temporary speed restrictions. 

Given that the total length of Switzerland’s motorway network is 2.254,5 kilometres, or 4.500 directional kilometres, that would mean that approximately half of all Swiss motorways would in future be able to use temporary speed limits in the event of congestion - although FEDRO has not yet confirmed which roads it has earmarked for temporary restrictions. 

FEDRO explained that the motorway reaches its maximum capacity when all drivers are restricted to 80 km/h. It’s the “sweet spot” where vehicle speeds are harmonised, lane changes and braking become less frequent, and traffic generally flows more smoothly, easing congestion. 

FEDRO testing measures to ease congestion

With motorway congestion in Switzerland only getting worse, FEDRO is looking at multiple different ways to alleviate the situation. Some of the measures it is trying include opening the hard shoulder to traffic at peak periods, using traffic lights to control the flow of vehicles onto motorways, and banning trucks from overtaking on several two-lane sections. 

Recently, the cantons also greenlit a plan to impose a transit tax on foreign cars that drive through Switzerland, primarily on motorways, to reach other countries in Europe. The idea is that this, too, would help to ease traffic buildup. 

However, not everyone is on board with FEDRO’s measures. For instance, the plan to widen a section of the motorway between Luterbach and Härkingen in Solothurn was rejected at a referendum last year. According to Blick, some political parties are also likely to oppose the expansion of temporary speed restrictions.