The government wants to slow down alternative traffic through villages in Uri and Graubünden. Anyone who drives south by car should no longer pay.
At peak times, the traffic jams on the A2 begin well before the Gotthard Tunnel.
Urs Flüeler / Keystone
On Thursday it was that time again: traffic jam on the way south. The Federal Roads Office (Astra) expects particularly long traffic jams around the ascent and Pentecost, especially in front of the Gotthard and the San Bernardino. The Touring Club (TCS) reported a wait of more than two hours between Erstfeld and Göschenen in the afternoon.
For some excursionists this is too much. Drivers and campers often switch to cantonal roads, which can be dangerous because of the cramped conditions. Sometimes even the blue light services no longer work – and the local population is burdened by exhaust fumes and noise. The Astra also calls on travelers to stay on the motorway. But many drivers don’t comply.
The federal government has now drawn up a report with 80 possible measures against alternative traffic in response to a postulate from National Councilor Simon Stadler (Mitte/Uri). On Wednesday, the Federal Council approved the paper and decided which measures it wanted to pursue further.
Traffic jams 100 days a year
The government recognizes the problems. She writes that the two Alpine crossings are often overloaded, especially during the peak travel times over the holidays in spring and summer. There are now traffic jams on the Gotthard in a southerly direction on 100 days a year. The San Bernardino axis is less busy with just over 20 days of traffic jams. However, the impact on local traffic is particularly great in the narrow valleys.
The federal government is prioritizing measures to ensure the flow of traffic on national roads. When there is a lot of traffic on the A2, the Astra closes the Göschenen and Airolo entrances to prevent traffic jams from being avoided. However, the current resources are not enough. The Federal Council is now recommending that further exits on the A 2 be closed. Those in Uri – with the exception of Altdorf – will be closed in future when there is heavy traffic. The aim is to keep transit traffic on the motorway while local traffic rolls along the cantonal road.
In Graubünden, on the other hand, the Federal Council is relying on automatic metering systems at the exits of the A 13. Thanks to light signals, traffic should only reach downstream roads in a metered manner. However, the prerequisite is additional measures on the cantonal network, including coordinated control of traffic signals. In the next few years, the Astra also wants to use the hard shoulder between Sargans and Landquart as an additional lane. This should make it possible to better accommodate traffic from Prättigau. On peak days, this builds up to Küblis, as the routes from the car transport through the Vereina Tunnel and from Davos meet the axis from San Bernardino in Landquart.
Against a special regulation for Ticino
However, the Federal Council does not want to take any further measures. He rejects a toll for the Gotthard tunnel and the pass road. The effect on traffic would be positive, he writes. But Ticino would practically only be connected to the rest of Switzerland via a toll road all year round. The government does not consider this to be appropriate for political reasons. The partial closure of the Gotthard Base Tunnel for passenger trains already caused major waves in the southern canton.
The Federal Council also has a negative view of a slot system for travel through the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels. The space required for waiting rooms and the uncertainties would be too large. The government is also rejecting an increase in the cost of motorway vignettes. The increase would primarily affect national traffic, as residents should not be given any advantage.
When asked, the Uri National Councilor Stadler welcomed the fact that the federal government recognized the problems of the people of Uri and Grisons. The Federal Council had been woken up, he said. It is crucial that further measures are taken that work. “The side valleys must not be cut off from basic services.” Stadler is sticking to examining a variable toll system, as he and other politicians are demanding. He also points out that the Uri cantonal parliament has unanimously called for a slot system. The National Council’s Transport Commission is expected to discuss the Federal Council’s report in the autumn.
The government emphasizes that the problem is not limited to the Alpine region. In fact, in cities and agglomerations that are particularly heavily burdened with traffic, alternative traffic occurs almost every day. Additional measures may also be necessary there, even if the scope according to the Astra has been largely exhausted.