Ten major cities reduce traffic congestion problems: Switzerland alone has no recipe

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Traffic jam! It’s frustrating, often occurs when we have the least amount of time, and harms the environment and economy. Large cities in particular struggle with too much stationary traffic. But how can you solve the problem? If you use Swiss cities as a reference, you may conclude that there is no recipe for this. But this is not true. In its latest research study, the International Motorists Association shows how ten major cities can set new standards for urban mobility and vastly reduce the duration and frequency of traffic congestion by cleverly combining technology and policy. Unfortunately, no Swiss city is included in these ten success stories.

In the Dutch metropolis and cycling city of Amsterdam, smart traffic lights and demand-based parking fees have been introduced, as well as applications that provide real-time information on the current traffic situation. All these measures reduced the frequency of overall traffic congestion in Amsterdam by 40 percent.

Singapore follows a technology-based approach, with the Electronic Toll Pricing system at its core. This system adapts the toll to the current traffic situation. Combined with a real-time traffic management system, the Asian city reduced traffic congestion by up to 70 percent.

Sweden’s capital has reduced individual car traffic in the city center by 60 percent through congestion pricing and the expansion of public transport. These adjustments resulted in an overall reduction of traffic congestion by 30 percent and helped increase traffic flow.

In London, authorities have reduced traffic congestion by 55 percent in the center and 25 percent citywide through congestion pricing, improving public transport and widening pedestrian and cycle paths.

Spain’s major city relies on a mobility plan focused on public transport, cyclists and pedestrians. This helped the city reduce traffic congestion in urban areas by 50 percent.

Oslo’s strategy of removing bicycle racks and smaller parking spaces, combined with investments in tolls and public transport, has resulted in a 70 percent reduction in traffic congestion in the city center and a 35 percent reduction citywide.

Thanks to extensive investments in cycling infrastructure, Copenhagen has managed to reduce vehicle traffic congestion by 45 percent. The positive effects are particularly evident in inner-city areas, where almost half of the population commutes by bicycle.

New York achieved a 40 percent reduction in traffic congestion by adding high-occupancy vehicle lanes and implementing rush-hour pricing. This is especially evident in the Manhattan area and at major access points.

Thanks to the “Paris Breathes” initiative, which focuses on public transport and limited vehicle access, Paris has managed to reduce traffic congestion by 50 percent in central areas and 20 percent citywide.

Vienna has kept car use low with an efficient public transport system and green spaces. This reduced overall traffic congestion in the city by 30 percent.

Zurich and Geneva perform poorly

The ten cities listed above show in numbers how new technologies combined with innovative political decisions can help solve many traffic congestion problems. Switzerland’s major cities are not mentioned in the International Drivers’ Association’s survey. And unfortunately there is a reason for this. Swiss cities still have serious traffic congestion problems. This means that traffic congestion in Zurich is increasing rather than decreasing. The traffic index from satellite navigation device manufacturer Tomtom shows this particularly clearly: it analyzes data from more than 600 million car navigation devices and mobile phones. When compared across Europe, Switzerland’s major cities, Geneva and Zurich, underperform. Among the European cities with the highest traffic congestion, Zurich ranks 14th, while Geneva ranks 11th.

However, Switzerland is also one of the world’s leading cities with the highest traffic congestion. Compared to the previous year, traffic congestion has worsened the most in Zurich, with the city of Zwingli taking first place in this disgraceful statistic. As a rule, it takes 23 minutes and 30 seconds to cover a distance of ten kilometers in Zurich. This is almost two minutes more than the previous year. Calculated over a year, this means you will lose more than 88 hours in traffic jams on the streets of Zurich during rush hour. The hope remains that these figures will encourage a rethink in Switzerland so that Swiss cities with reduced congestion hours will also be included in the International Motorists Association study in the future.

Source: Blick