Swiss Review 4/2018

13 Swiss Review / July 2018 / No.4 JÜRG MÜLLER “Incredible” was howUrsulaWyss described the increase in cycling in the federal capital in April 2018. The city council- lor responsible for transport was clearly very surprised her- self at the cyclingboom. Cyclinghad risenby35% in the short period from 2014 to 2017. The city is now looking to step it up a gear by increasing the proportion that cyclistsmake up of total traffic from 15% at the moment to 20% by 2030. bilities as for the footpaths and hiking trails, thus restrict- ing itself to basic framework legislation. The planning, construction and maintenance of the cycle paths will be the responsibility of the cantons and communes. Federal government cannot take on any new duties due to tight fi- nancial and staff restrictions, according to national govern- ment. The counterproposal therefore does not provide for any funding obligation. Federal government can neverthe- less lay down principles for cycle path networks. It can also support and coordinate cantonal measures for the con- struction and maintenance of such networks. Cycling as amode of transport received overwhelming support from all parties in Parliament. No criticism at all was voiced in the Council of States. Only the SVP rejected the Federal Council’s counterproposal in the National Council. Parliamentary group spokesperson Thomas Hurter said that no additional measures were required as “Switzerland is already a cycling nation”. This idea was re- futed by Bastien Girod, the Greens National Councillor, who contended that the lack of infrastructure prevented Switzerland from becoming a cycling nation as “yellow lines are not enough”. SPNational Councillor Evi Allemann said that Switzerland needs to catch up with other coun- tries abroad. Various speakers underlined the benefits of cycling. It could help to alleviate peak traffic and reduce en- ergy consumption, and it has health benefits. Objective achieved, initiative withdrawn After parliament’s approval of the counterproposal, the au- thors of the bike initiative returned the favour bywithdraw- ing their popular initiative. Theydeclared that their goal had been achieved. “The federal decree onbicycles addresses the core issues of the initiative, namely giving cycle paths equiv- alent status to footpaths and hiking trails,” stated SP Na- tional Councillor Matthias Aebischer, president of the asso- ciationbehind the bike initiative. The committee behind the proposal is nowbackedbynumerous organisations fromthe fields of tourism, health, sport, transport, business and the environment. Even the car-friendly Touring Club Suisse (TCS) supports the initiative. TCS Vice-President and FDP National Councillor Thierry Burkart remarked: “The sepa- ration of traffic flows is in the interests of all road users, in- cluding motorists. It helps to create capacity.” The bicycle’s path into the Federal Constitution Footpaths and hiking trails have long held constitutional status. If approved by the Swiss people on 23 September 2018, cycle paths will receive the same honour. In good shape: More importance is to be attached to cycling and it will receive constitutional status. Photo: Keystone The city of Berne is not a unique case. Cycling is on the up nationwide (also see Swiss Review no. 3/2018). The bicycle is now also set to find its way into the Federal Constitution – provided Swiss voters approve a federal decree on cycle paths at the ballot box on 23 September 2018. This proposal involves supplementing Article 88 on footpaths and hiking trails, which has been part of the Constitution for 40 years. It has resulted in the creation of a unique network of foot- paths and hiking trails. An extensive network of cycle paths is now also to be established in Switzerland. Cross-party praise The idea comes from the bike initiative by Pro Velo, an um- brella organisation representing the interests of cyclists. The Federal Council also supported the basic thrust of the proposal. It put forward a slightly watered-down counter- proposal: federal government will bear the same responsi-