Three in four Swiss voters have backed a proposal enshrining cycling in the country’s federal constitution in a referendum today.
The question of whether “promoting bike paths” should be added to an existing provision of promoting footpaths and hiking trails was supported by 73.6 per cent of the electorate.
For the constitution to be amended, the referendum required not only a majority of voters across the country as a whole to vote in favour, but also most of the country’s 26 cantons to back it.
As it turned out, a majority of people in every single canton supported the measure.
The promotion of footpaths and hiking trails has formed part of the constitution since 1977.
Back then, the Swiss federal parliament’s House of Representatives was in favour of including cycle paths within the wording, but that proposal was vetoed by the country’s upper house, the Senate.
The amendment to the constitution comes as the Swiss government is eager to promote cycling for both transport and leisure.
It is likely to result in it devising a strategy for developing a national network of cycle paths – although these remain primarily the responsibility of individual cantons – as well as mapping routes, among other issues.
The proposal was supported by all the country's main political parties with the exception of the right wing Swiss People’s Party, reports SwissInfo.ch.
In the run-up to the referendum, the country’s transport minister, highlighted that encouraging more people to cycle could ease pressure on overcrowded public transport as well as help reduce air pollution.
She also highlighted the importance of safety of cyclists, the only class of road users to have seen an increase in casualty numbers in recent years.
He attends when he is called. Or don't they bother with witnesses in Australia?
I don't think they would have got away with this if it was used by cars....
For those who only bike-fly once or twice a year, rental is a great option. There's a guy in Marlow on Thames (for example) that I've used. He's...
My comment was not directed at David Millar - it was a response to Trooper74's transphobic "joke" about Pippa York.
Common sense at last
And tandems...
Car crashes into wall behind Natwest in Winchester https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24216676.photos-car-crashes-wa...
Standard driver responses - what a grim world view to go through life with, full of resentment and bitterness. ...
One way to find out is to put a member of the driver's family on the bike and ask them to repeat the manoeuvre.
This was in my local park and dogs are allowed off-lead. Cyclists are required to ride slowly and give due care and attention as it happens.