Swiss cities: more margin for climate and 30 km/h on the roads (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• Swiss cities are calling for more leeway on climate adaptation
• Heat waves: fewer impervious surfaces, more greenery
• 30 km/h speed limit indicated as a key measure
• Demand for a national 'polluter pays' strategy

Key facts

• What: Cities are calling for greater room for manoeuvre on climate adaptation measures on urban roads
• When: Statement released today by the Conference of Cities for Mobility (SKM); exact date not specified
• Where: Switzerland, particularly the urban centres represented by the Swiss Union of Cities
• Who: Conference of Cities for Mobility (SKM), convened within the transport departments; Swiss Union of Cities
• Climate context: Increasingly frequent heat waves, which make adaptation measures necessary
• Measures indicated: Reduction of impervious surfaces, creation of more green spaces, 30 km/h speed limit
• Further demand: A national strategy for traffic pricing based on the 'polluter pays' principle
• Political criticism: The Confederation and several Cantons have allegedly hindered the introduction of the 30 km/h limit in recent years

Switzerland's cities are calling for more decision-making space to implement climate adaptation measures on urban roads. This emerges from the position paper released by the heads of the transport departments gathered in the Conference of Cities for Mobility (SKM), which refers to the Swiss Union of Cities.

The starting point is the recurring heat waves, a phenomenon that, according to the cities, requires structural interventions on the urban fabric: in particular, the reduction of impervious surfaces and the creation of more green spaces. The statement explicitly indicates as a 'key measure' also a reduction of the speed limit to 30 km/h.

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Operational details

Swiss cities are once again calling for broader decision-making powers on a dossier that intertwines traffic, public health and urban planning. The request comes from the Conference of Cities for Mobility (SKM), which brings together the heads of urban transport offices, in coordination with the Swiss Union of Cities.

The political issue raised by the cities concerns the relationship with Bern and the Cantons. According to the SKM, in recent years the introduction of the 30 km/h speed limit has been hindered both by the Confederation and by several Cantons. The Conference now explicitly demands that 'the federal and cantonal authorities do not further complicate or block the relevant projects'.

The measures put on the table

The SKM note identifies three main lines of action:

• climate adaptation on urban roads, with a reduction of impervious surfaces and an increase in green areas;
• a 30 km/h speed limit as a 'key measure';
• a reduction in individual motorized traffic and greater shared use of vehicles.

On the latter point, the Conference calls for a national strategy for traffic pricing based on the 'polluter pays' principle, a formulation reported verbatim in the note.

Institutional levels involved

The cities' request operates on three levels: federal (for a national pricing strategy), cantonal (on the authorization of speed limits) and municipal (on the concrete management of roads and green spaces). In Switzerland, competences regarding road signage and speed are divided between the Confederation, the Cantons and the Municipalities, and the Conference of Cities for Mobility aims to obtain a greater operational margin for the Municipalities, which are currently subject to cantonal and federal scrutiny.

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Key points

The position taken by the Conference of Cities for Mobility (SKM) opens a political pathway that may closely concern those who live and work in Swiss urban areas. For now, this is a political request, not an already approved measure: the Conference is asking federal and cantonal authorities not to hinder projects and is calling for a national traffic pricing strategy based on the 'polluter pays' principle.

What changes, in concrete terms

If the cities' requests were to be accepted, the potential effects concern three distinct areas:

• Speed limits: municipalities could have more leeway to introduce 30 km/h zones, currently subject, according to the SKM, to obstacles from the Confederation and the Cantons.
• Urban spaces: cities could expand green surfaces and reduce impervious ones, indications explicitly contained in the note.
• Mobility and tariffs: the Conference is calling for a national strategy for traffic pricing based on the 'polluter pays' principle, without further operational details in the note.

What to do in the meantime

For residents, workers, and commuters who wish to follow the evolution of the dossier, the operational steps are still being defined at the federal and cantonal level. Pending developments, it is useful to:

• check on your municipality's website for any 30 km/h zone projects already launched or under consultation;
• follow the communications of the cantonal transport departments, which are responsible for reviewing local speed limits;
• monitor the position statements of the Swiss Union of Cities and the SKM, which represent the common front of cities on this dossier.

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