Switzerland debates 80 km/h speed limit on highways to save energy

GENEVA

To curb Switzerland's energy consumption, Green Party leader Balthasar Glattli has called for a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour (49 miles per hour) on highways.

"Speed reductions are essential to save energy. The International Energy Agency also says this,” Glattli told news portal nau.ch on Wednesday.

At the moment, a speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour applies on Swiss highways.

Glattli’s proposal has not received support so far from the Swiss federal government and the automotive clubs.

Lawmaker Thomas Hurter from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, said that even a reduction to 100 km/h to save energy "makes absolutely no sense and is pure harassment for motorists.”

He said speed reductions make sense in part when it comes to preventing traffic jams.

He sharply criticized the Green Party’s proposal, claiming that it was a "classic left-wing ideological politics.”

The Swiss federal government has so far rejected any calls for lower speed limits.

In a statement, Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said that lower speeds would indeed reduce consumption, but underlined that the current 120 km/h speed limit is not a minimum speed.

"Driving at lower speeds is permitted as long as the steady flow of traffic is not impeded," Sommaruga said in her statement.