The Road Remains the Backbone of Our Transport Infrastructure in the Future
13.10.2025 | from Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
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13.10.2025, Transport infrastructure is reaching its limits in many areas. With the report published today by ETH Professor Ulrich Weidmann, a foundation for comprehensive multimodal infrastructure prioritization has been provided. Now, the Federal Council and Parliament must draw the right conclusions. The national road network handles almost half of the total mileage, including three-quarters of the vehicle kilometers of road freight transport. Without targeted expansion of road infrastructure, traffic collapse is imminent. It is also unclear whether "Transport 2045" sufficiently considers technological developments in autonomous vehicles in public transport.
In order for the Swiss transport system to continue fulfilling its duties for the population and the economy in the future, investments in roads and railways are necessary. The report published today by ETH Professor Ulrich Weidmann has created an important foundation for the further development of transport infrastructure. It is particularly positive that the report recommends tighter planning and approval processes. The current lengthy procedures endanger the expansion of infrastructure.
Future expansion projects must take into account the immense task that the national roads have to manage. Although national roads make up just three percent of the network, they account for 45 percent of all vehicle kilometers and over 70 percent of the vehicle kilometers of road freight transport. The constantly increasing load leads to more traffic jams and chronic overloading of critical points. Targeted expansions are indispensable to keep the network efficient. Individual traffic has grown by two percent annually over the past years. Population growth and an increasingly mobile society ensure that traffic growth increases. This trend must be acknowledged by quickly realizing road projects in heavily burdened areas. Since 2008, merely 17 kilometers of motorway have been added, while traffic volume has doubled.
Future infrastructure planning should also consider the development of autonomous vehicles. The increased deployment of autonomous shuttles will also strongly influence the future of public transport.
Politics must draw the right conclusions.
It is now up to politics to draw the right conclusions from this report and to resolutely advance expansion projects that can gain a majority. Given the great need for action and the long lead time of infrastructure constructions, no time should be lost now. Joint handling of projects in favor of roads, railways, and agglomerations is an effective measure to give Swiss infrastructure the necessary update for the upcoming years.
In view of the upcoming political debates, it is crucial for TCS that the proven funds for roads (NAF) and rail (BIF) are not weakened. Cuts in the funds, which are anchored in the constitution, would severely weaken the Swiss transport system. If infrastructure is neglected, the entire society suffers from the consequences.
Professor Ulrich Weidmann's report is a helpful foundation for future transport policy. For effective implementation, the Federal Council and Parliament are now responsible. The TCS will continue to act as a constructive partner for solutions that strengthen autonomous mobility.
Press contact:
Marco Wölfli, Media Spokesperson TCS
Tel. 058 827 34 03
marco.woelfli@tcs.ch
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Conclusion of this article: « The Road Remains the Backbone of Our Transport Infrastructure in the Future »
Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
Since its founding in 1896 in Geneva, the Touring Club Switzerland has been serving the Swiss population. It is committed to safety, sustainability, and autonomy in personal mobility, both politically and socially. With 1900 employees and 23 regional sections, the largest mobility club in Switzerland offers its approximately 1.6 million members a wide range of services related to mobility, health, and leisure activities.
Every 70 seconds, assistance is provided. 200 patrol officers are active on Swiss roads annually with about 359,000 missions, enabling immediate continuance in more than 80% of cases. The ETI center organizes approximately 57,000 assistance missions annually, including 3,200 medical assessments and over 1,200 repatriations. TCS Swiss Ambulance Rescue is the largest private actor for rescue and patient transport in Switzerland with 50 vehicles, 17 logistics bases, and over 35,000 operations per year. The legal protection offices handle 42,000 cases and provide about 10,000 legal consultations. Since 1908, TCS has been committed to road safety in Switzerland by developing teaching materials, awareness, and prevention campaigns, testing mobility infrastructures, and advising authorities.
TCS distributes about 110,000 reflective belts and 90,000 reflective vests to children annually, ensuring their mobility is safe. The driving centers register 42,000 participants for training and further education in all vehicle categories each year. With 33 sites and about 950,000 overnight stays, TCS is the largest camping provider in Switzerland. The TCS Mobility Academy researches and shapes transformations in transport, such as the vertical mobility of drones or shared mobility, for instance, with the 400 electric cargo bikes "carvelo" and 40,000 users. TCS is a signatory of the Roadmap Electromobility 2025.
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Source: Touring Club Suisse (TCS), Press release
Original article published on: Die Strasse ist auch in Zukunft das Rückgrat unserer Verkehrsinfrastruktur