How the Canton of Grisons could be freed from traffic jams

The fact that hundreds of cars roll through the Prättigau (GR) every Sunday evening during the ski season, causing a traffic jam from Landquart to Davos, is not a new phenomenon. However, the return traffic has become a national political issue since the beginning of the year. The municipality of Schiers defended itself by blocking the exit of the through road, thus preventing the cars from avoiding the main road by passing through the village centre. The municipalities, the canton and the government are searching for solutions. ISTP member Prof. Kay Axhausen, Professor of Transportation Planning at ETH Zurich, spoke about this issue in an interview with Radio SRF 1.

According to Axhausen, the reaction of the Prättigau communities is quite understandable. However, the arbitrary blocking of exits is illegal, which is why long-term solutions must be found. The logical reaction would be to start at the source of the traffic jams, i.e., the skiing resorts. However, this does not seem to be the right way in this case. Another potential solution would be a so-called congestion toll, which lorries already know. Charging people to pass the road during rush hours sends a scarcity signal. The aim is that people make their return journey later or earlier. The idea of a congestion toll has been discussed many times. However, levying such a toll is not without problems since the constitution abolished road tolls in Switzerland in the 19th century. The restoration of a road toll would require an amendment to the constitution or an exemption analogous to lorries.

Axhausen believes that there are faster solutions to this problem. The main focus should be on making public transport more attractive, through faster and more direct connections from the city to the ski lift and reliable luggage transport services. The key to the success of this solution is to make these services convenient and straightforward. In addition, carpooling could be encouraged. Axhausen sees another possibility in discounted hotel offers so that guests stay in the mountains until Monday or Tuesday. This possibility is also becoming more relevant with the increasing flexibility of work.

An additional factor for the traffic jam is the bottleneck at the motorway entrance in Landquart. This is why many people see a solution in expanding the bottleneck. Prof. Axhausen speaks out against this variant. On the one hand, such construction measures are cost-intensive, as residents have high expectations of implementation. On the other hand, the question arises as to whether such an extension would benefit throughout the year or even become counterproductive. An expansion would create more space, and cars could cover the routes even faster. This would send the wrong signals, and car traffic would increase yearly. In times of the climate debate, such measures are therefore not appropriate.