Uri wants to disconnect the alternative traffic with closures

New advances against Gotthard backlog –Uri wants to disconnect the alternative traffic with closures

When it builds on the Gotthard tunnel, thousands of drivers switch to the cantonal road through the surrounding villages to drive over the pass – two national councilors are now demanding countermeasures.

Published today at 6:06 a.m.

“A man from Gurtnellen recently called me, some of the hearing protection in his house,” says Uri Mitte-Nationalrat Simon Stadler. This is just one of many complaints that have already been brought to him. Other examples: a village doctor who almost no longer came to an emergency due to the traffic jam. A garage player in Andermatt, which is no longer supplied on dust days. People who come too late to work. Ambulances that stuck. Grandmas and grandpas who were afraid to walk across the street.

Such descriptions have had the National Council worked out several proposals, which are intended to slow down the Gotthard movement by the Uri villages. Because when the traffic at the Gotthard tunnel staunch and the passport is open – like this year at Pentecost – thousands of drivers leave the highway and take the cantonal road through the villages. “Many even in Altdorf, the traffic then meanders through around half of our communities.” Drive off cars in Altdorf, drive through first field, Silenen, Amsteg, Gurtnellen, Wassen, Göschenen, Andermatt and Hospental. There are no other options. Either you use the highway or the often tight cantonal road.

According to the Federal Office of Streets, almost 6.8 million cars drove through the Gotthard tunnel in both directions in 2023. According to a Dokfilm from SRF Hundreds of thousands of vehicles left the motorway and traffic jams in the same year and took the cantonal road – however, the Astra cannot verify this number on request, since it mainly measures traffic on the national roads.

Stadler wants to lock Strassen

On Tuesday, the parliament deals with a promotion with which Simon Stadler is technically spoken to adapt the so-called passage road regulation in such a way that the cantons on days with severe traffic overload can block the cantonal roads on the north-south axis with driving bans on their own. “We don’t talk about the fact that we want to block streets for days, but hourly,” says Stadler.

The police should then only let those who have a good reason through the villages, residents and feeders are excluded. A measure that Uri is already partially performing. On days and the start of the holiday, security personnel are on the motorway trips to steer the traffic. “But you can only ask you to use the highway, you cannot forbid the passage or distribute buses,” says Stadler. Which sometimes leads to arguments. «The security personnel are repeatedly insulted or even attacked. A pilot was once dragged around 30 meters by a driver, »says Stadler.

Stadler therefore calls for more ability to act, because today there can only be blocked with the consent of the federal government: “But that belongs in the competence of the cantons, because after all, we also have the chaos on the Kantonsstrasse,” says Stadler.

Candinas also fights alternative traffic

The Graubünden Middle National Councilor Martin Candinas is the problem of alternative traffic. In his advance, which will also be dealt with in the National Council on Tuesday, he demands that the Federal Council take on the operators of navigation devices. The Navis are supposed to map arranged road closures – because if it staubs, many navigation system indicate the alternative route through the villages. “And many tourists pursue the navigation system, we do that when we are abroad,” said Candinas. He counters concerns about the technical feasibility with an example: “Technically, it is possible to do this, because the Navi operators today also adhere to our legal requirements to avoid cycling reports.”

The arguments of the opponents

The Aargau SVP National Councilor Benjamin Giezendanner can only gain little from both ideas-not feasible, he says: “The navigation system will be technically very difficult-we cannot prescribe what you can map the big corporations.” The advance to the road closures is also “meant well, but poorly implemented,” he says, and makes an example: “If Samih Sawiris ordered 300 kilos of tomatoes in Andermatt for his hotel, the truck must not go through if it has no Urner car number? That won’t work. ” He also criticizes the fact that the advance projected a regional problem onto the whole of Switzerland.

The Federal Council argues similarly in its answers to the motions – it recommends both to reject. Many navigation devices would already display road closures. Navigation operators abroad could not legally obliged to display the road closures.

The Stadler postulate also receives a basket from the Federal Council – he does not want to hand over control over closures to the cantons. These are likely to affect local traffic regulations on the passage streets, provided that they “take place in consultation with the federal government” and “not only the local but also the national interests”.

And – this argument is also similar to that of Giezendanner – there are also many municipalities in the Mittelland that were affected by alternative traffic every day – and may also want to impose closures. From the federal government’s perspective, the exception cannot be limited to Gotthard and San Bernardino.

The vote becomes scarce

How the National Council will decide on this question is unsure. With 13 to 11 votes, the preparatory Commission for Transport decided to say goodbye to Motion Stadler. With 14 to 11 votes, the commission members want to transfer the motion canceled. So it will be scarce. On the other hand, it is certain that the next traffic jam on the Gotthard is already coming up again. On Pentecost 2023, traffic stored south up to 20 kilometers. How big is the traffic jam this year?

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