Swiss government adds billions to fight road noise

The Swiss federal government will provide the state with an additional CHF 52 billion to reduce road noise, RTS reported. An additional CHF 52 billion will be added to the existing financing package of CHF 26 billion.

Road traffic is the main source of noise in Switzerland. Over 1 million people, more than 10% of the population, are exposed to excessive road noise when at home.

Work to reduce road noise includes road surface upgrades, the addition of noise barriers, and the introduction of new speed limits. The existing CHF 26 billion will be invested between 2023 and 2024. An additional CHF 52 billion will be allocated to work between now and 2024.

Road resurfacing can make a big difference in the noise generated by the road. Speed ​​limits are also useful. Lausanne and Geneva are scrutinizing the speed limit to 30km / h in some urban zones. In Bern, noise reduction resurfacing seems to be more important. This usually lasts 10 years.

A particular road noise challenge in Switzerland is motorcycles. The noise limit (80dB) of a two-wheeled vehicle is the same as that of other vehicles. However, you rarely come across a noisy car, and it’s fairly common to encounter a motorcycle with rattling windows, usually a Harley-Davidson. Part of the problem stems from the motorcycling culture, which favors noisy machinery, which leads owners to illegally modify their exhaust systems. Violator policing and testing is a difficult and almost unsuccessful task.

Noisy motorcyclists are a bit like smokers. Some smokers feel that they should be free to do what they want when they want to. This may sound pretty reasonable. However, in reality, the majority of nonsmokers are left with potential health costs and the discomfort of passively inhaling smoke so that the minority can enjoy the habits of their choice.

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