The Green Party want to turn turmoil in the Middle East into an opportunity to reduce Switzerland’s reliance on fossil fuels and ease pressure on household budgets. Among the measures proposed by the party is an 80km/h speed limit on motorways, reports RTS.
In an interview with SonntagsZeitung, Lisa Mazzone, the party’s president, argued that slower driving would reduce fuel consumption at a time when petrol prices have risen sharply following the conflict involving Iran—unleaded petrol is around 10% more expensive and diesel is up around 20%.
Ms Mazzone pointed to the 1973 oil crisis, when Swiss authorities temporarily imposed a 100km/h motorway speed limit to conserve fuel. Half a century later, the Greens argue that similar measures remain relevant. They also cite smoother traffic, lower noise levels and fewer accidents as potential benefits.
The idea is not new. In 2022 Green politicians proposed lowering the motorway speed limit to 100km/h, but parliament rejected the motion.
The Greens are also drawing inspiration from Germany. They propose introducing CHF 10 day passes for public transport, modelled on Germany’s €9 monthly ticket introduced in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The party says the measure would encourage greater use of public transport while supporting consumers’ purchasing power. That contrasts with proposals from members of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), who have called on the Federal Council to cut mineral-oil taxes instead.
Another proposal would ban private jets in order to prioritise kerosene supplies for commercial aviation. Ms Mazzone argues that the government must set clear priorities. Like the other ideas, the proposal will be submitted to parliament.
Notably absent from the discussion is any reference to electric vehicles, despite their growing importance in efforts to reduce fossil fuel pollution.
Philippe Nantermod of the PLR/FDP dismissed the proposals as punitive and primarily designed for political marketing. They would do little, he argued, to help people who depend on cars. Public transport is highly inconvenient for some and often more expensive for those travelling in groups.
The Greens’ proposals come at a difficult moment for environmental politics in Switzerland, where centre-right support for green policies has weakened in recent years. Still, Ms Mazzone insists that concerns over purchasing power and energy independence will eventually strengthen the party’s case.
The proposed motorway limit is likely to feature in discussions at the National Council’s transport and telecommunications committee. The committee is also considering a motion from the UDC/SVP that would move in the opposite direction by raising motorway speed limits to 130km/h and limits outside built-up areas to 100km/h, levels last seen in the 1980s.
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