Car-Free Zurich?

Like many other places I have been in Europe? The cities of Switzerland also have excellent public transport. This might work there and be a model of other cities which have similar ways to get around without cars.

“Initiative launched”

A broad civil society committee has submitted 4,500 signatures in favor of the traffic reform initiative to the city of Zurich. It calls for the city to become largely car-free.

Only non-avoidable motorised traffic, i.e. emergency vehicles, commercial vehicles, public transport and cars for people with limited mobility and shift workers, should remain possible, the committee announced on Friday.

The initiative also enables the further promotion of pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well as urban green spaces, it added. These are all issues that are essential for safety in the city and for achieving climate goals. The committee is backed by representatives from the centre-left camp.

This is not the first attempt at a car-free Zurich. The youth section of the left-wing Social Democratic Party launched the “Züri autofrei” initiative in 2020, but this was declared invalid by the Federal Court because the city had no right to impose driving bans on all roads.

The current initiative goes somewhat less far because it is formulated as a “general suggestion”. The city parliament and government could therefore determine the implementation themselves.

“This is old wine in new inner tubes,” wrote the Zurich section of the Automobile Club of Switzerland (ACS) in a press release on the initiative. The demands would “massively” interfere with the city’s existing, fundamentally functioning transport system. The ACS will “resolutely oppose” this initiative in the further political process.

“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.” 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. The Local

“Initiative launched for car-free Zurich,” – SWI swissinfo.ch