Most Swiss are not keen on blanket 30km/h limits in urban areas. A new poll by YouGov, commissioned by the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), finds that nearly two-thirds of respondents oppose extending the lower limit to all urban roads. Three-quarters favour the current mixed regime: 50km/h as the rule, with 30km/h zones applied case by case.
The roll out of 30 km/h zones has been rapid in Switzerland. A key argument has been noise, which has spurred some municipalities to introduce night-time only bans on driving above 30 km/h, even on key urban thoroughfares.
Support for selective limits is broad. Some 67% say 30km/h makes sense on residential streets, or on main roads near schools. But extending it to thoroughfares, critics fear, would push traffic into quiet side streets. Indeed 61% of those surveyed worry about “rat-running” if slower speeds spread.
Other anxieties abound. Nearly six in ten think more buses would be needed to maintain today’s timetables if vehicles had to crawl at 30km/h. More than two-thirds fret that emergency services would be delayed. Even e-bikes are not spared: 91% think they should also obey local speed limits.
Switzerland’s federal parliament has already backed clearer criteria for setting limits. Voters seem to agree. Some 68% want uniform rules nationwide. The government is now adjusting ordinances to reflect parliament’s will: 50km/h should remain the standard on traffic-oriented roads, with 30km/h used sparingly.
The survey, conducted online between June 26th and July 7th with 1,207 respondents aged 15–79, broadly confirms the pattern seen in earlier polls—and in a 2001 referendum, when voters rejected a blanket 30km/h cap. The TCS, with its 1.6 million members, says it will continue to argue for pragmatism and a differentiated approach.
More on this:
TCS survey (in German)
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
