Login
You're viewing the social.epfl.ch public feed.
  • Patrick RératPatrickRerat@sciences.re
    Sep 22, 2026, 7:03 AM

    🚗 New paper: The geography of opposition to motorway

    In 2024, Swiss voters rejected plans to expand six motorway sections

    Our study analyses voting patterns across all 2,126 municipalities

    Major cities were much more likely to reject the projects, while suburban, peri-urban and rural municipalities were far more divided.

    Voting patterns largely reflected Switzerland's traditional left-right political divide.

    Territorial context also mattered: Municipalities close to the planned expansions often opposed the project but less than expected

    Open access:
    doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.202

    Summary: In November 2024, 52.7% of Swiss citizens rejected government plans to extend six stretches of motorway, an outcome unexpected by most observers. This paper addresses the geography of opposition to motorway capacity expansion projects in relation to the 2126 Swiss municipalities. It provides a spatial analysis of a national vote that is unique from an international perspective and reflects the growing debates on major transport infrastructure. The ‘no’ vote was markedly higher in core cities, while the outcome was more balanced in other types of municipalities. It was also more prevalent in the French-speaking region. This result is in line with a classic left–right political divide that usually structures federal votes, as shown by an analysis of the previous 380 votes. Residual analysis reveals that municipalities close to the planned expansions generally voted ‘no’ but were more in favour than expected – although differences exist according to the spatial and mobility context. Conversely, rural municipalities, traditionally favourable to motorized traffic, were generally less supportive, perhaps due to a lack of expected benefits.
    💬 0🔄 2⭐ 0