The Union of Swiss Cities calls for the generalization of the 30 km / h
The organization, which brings together 129 localities in the country, would like to extend the speed limit to 30 km/h in all urban areas.
The Union of Swiss Cities is calling for 30 km/h to become the norm in urban areas.
KEYSTONE/MARTIAL TREZZINI
The Union of Swiss Cities is mobilizing in favor of the generalization of the 30 km/h limit in urban areas. This speed “must become the norm” in order to reduce noise, she demands in a position statement revealed on Sunday.
A paradigm shift is needed, writes the organization, which brings together 129 localities in the country. “Noise is not just a noise nuisance. It is also harmful to health and to the economy. However, it has been shown that a reduction in speed from 50 to 30 km/ha has a noise impact equivalent to a reduction by two in traffic”, she notes in her position paper sent to Keystone-ATS after being published by the NZZ em Sonntag.
Today, many sanitation or renovation projects are blocked or delayed by objections related to sound fears. A solution must be found to achieve denser housing while limiting noise, continues the Union of Swiss Cities.
Delete on a case-by-case basis
Knowing that road traffic represents 80% of noise pollution, the problem must be tackled at the source: by generalizing the 30 km / h in residential areas but also on the main roads of agglomerations, pleads the Union of Swiss Cities . “Such a measure has the advantage of being efficient, advantageous and compatible with public transport,” she notes.
On small neighborhood roads, such a limit is now well accepted. In 2018, the Federal Court also admitted, via a case-by-case examination, the possibility of going to 30 km/h in cities, including on main roads, with a view to reducing noise. This decision was recently confirmed by the Federal Council.
Knowing that the external costs of noise from road traffic are estimated at 2.3 billion francs per year, the Union of Swiss Cities calls for the abolition of the case-by-case principle so that the 30 km/h limit becomes the rule everywhere in city and in agglomerations, via a revision of the ad hoc ordinance.
Opposite economy and right
Limiting to 30 km / h in outlying neighborhoods “is no longer enough, because an increasing number of people live and work along the main axes.”
The Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts (USAM) – and part of the right – is up against these proposals, which are “contrary to the interests of trade”, believes its president Hans-Ulrich Bigler.
To combat nuisances, the Union of Swiss Cities is also calling for a series of improvements in the planning process for new constructions, as well as compensation measures.
ATS
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