Gotthard passage should cost 20 francs

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The residents of Uri receive support from Zurich: GLP National Councilor Corina Gredig (35) calls for a kilometer charge for the Gotthard. On busy days such as Easter, Ascension Day or Pentecost, driving through the longest road tunnel through the Alps “should cost a twentieth note,” says the Zurich woman. So 40 francs there and back.

In addition to the motorway vignette for crossing the Alps, the green liberals are also thinking of a toll, similar to what is known from other countries. This is not entirely new for Switzerland either, according to a list from the German automobile club ADAC. A transit fee is also charged for individual border tunnels. And Gredig does not turn a blind eye to advantageous combination offers for the outward and return journey.

Cheaper in November

In any case, the starting point that ski resorts are known is important to her: the higher the expected occupancy, the more expensive it will be to go through the tunnel.

In concrete terms, the crossing would be the most expensive, for example from Thursday afternoon before Easter during the holidays. The Gotthard Passage would be cheapest on a Thursday in November at midnight, because the least traffic intensity is expected on this route.

Gredig emphasizes that it is not necessary to change the constitution for a tunnel toll only for the Gotthard, as the Federal Council wrote in April 2016 on a motion by its party leader Jürg Grossen (53). However, if all transalpine connections, including the passes, had to be paid for, yes. The answer of the Federal Council also shows that such a toll would also be compatible with the land transport agreements with the EU. After all, EU countries also have toll on the motorway plus tunnel toll.

Exceptions for residents and Tessin

For the resident of Zurich, who puts forward a corresponding proposal in parliament, exceptions are needed for residents and local businesses. Here too, Gredig points to the solution in the ski resorts, where the population of the region can ski at a local rate.

Such exceptions are also necessary for the Uri Central National Councilor Simon Stadler (34) – also for the citizens of Ticino. “Something needs to be done now to relieve the population of Uri from through traffic on peak days such as Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost.”

Enlist the help of Uri

At Easter, the inhabitants of Uri again suffered from a monster traffic jam on the Gotthard. As a call for help from Central Switzerland, the cantonal parliament voted unanimously in favor of a professional initiative advocating a booking system for Gotthard passages. The Gotthard traffic jam has finally arrived in Bern.

As Alderman Stadler explains, the Federal Road Administration (Astra) is currently preparing a report showing how traffic management on the Gotthard can be improved. Like Gredig, he also promises to get to work politically: “Knowing the Astra report, I will introduce such a system to smooth out traffic spikes in Parliament.”

Electronic vignette

With the findings from the report, the fan must then be turned on, says the man from Uri. “On the one hand, I can imagine that foreign motorists who, for example, drive through the Gotthard with electronic motorway vignettes, would have to pay a higher toll, on the other hand, Swiss motorists on such a motorway would have to pay a tunnel charge. Holidays,” he says, describing his plans.

“Of course, with such a system, alternative traffic to the villages and other regions – for example to the San Bernardino route – should be avoided,” he emphasizes. Like Gredig, Stadler is convinced that a solution can be found that is compatible with the land transport agreement. If, contrary to expectations, a solution is found that requires a constitutional amendment, Stadler is confident that the population and the majority of the cantons will agree.

Source:Blick