While the idea of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, becoming (almost) car-free may seem far-fetched, that is what a new initiative will be seeking.
The initiative, spearheaded by local politicians, as well as cycling and climate activists, will be officially launched on May 1st, which means that the collection of signatures on a petition will commence on that day.
What is this move about?
This is how the initiative’s instigators explain it: “Zurich suffers from a lack of space, noise, dangerous traffic, and heat islands. Cars take up a lot of space, generate CO2, noise, and accidents.”
Therefore, “for the transport policy to actually change, pressure is needed from society, businesses, and voters.”
Concretely, the text requires the city to commit to “making the urban area as largely car-free as possible.” It will be up to authorities to determine where these zones should be located..
“We don’t want to ban anyone from driving a car,” said Sonja Roth, a member of the initiative committee.
However, motorised journeys should be limited to what is “strictly necessary,” she said; to that end, “large car-free zones should be created” throughout Zurich.
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How bad is the traffic problem in Zurich?
Over 24,000 vehicles drive just through the city centre every day; this number is much higher when other areas of the city are counted in.
What will happen next?
As is required for every citizen-driven initiative in the city in Zurich, 3,000 signatures must be collected on a petition within six months. .
Then the signatures will need to be validated by the authorities before the issue comes to a ballot box.
