"Sad Swiss record" Opponents of the A1 highway expansion demonstrate in front of Bern Cathedral
On Friday evening, an estimated two hundred people demonstrated against the expansion of the A1 highway on the Münsterplatz square in the city of Bern. In doing so, they showed their dissatisfaction with the "harmful and short-sighted transport policy of the federal government", as the Spurwechsel association wrote in its appeal.
23.08.2024, 20:56
23.08.2024, 20:57
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- Around two hundred people demonstrated against the expansion of the A1 highway on Friday evening on Münsterplatz in the city of Berne.
- The president of the Spurwechsel association, Markus Heinzer, led the demonstration.
- Activists from partner organizations also presented their demands, which were acknowledged with clapping and bicycle bells.
The focus of the rally in front of the cathedral, where a conspicuous number of bicycles were parked, was the expansion of the two A1 sections Wankdorf-Schönbühl and Schönbühl-Kirchberg. This is part of the "2023 Expansion Step for National Roads" expansion package, which will be voted on by the Swiss electorate on November 24. The organizers estimated the number of participants at several hundred.
Markus Heinzer, President of the Spurwechsel association, led the demonstration. In his speech, he was particularly outraged by the planned eight-lane section of highway in Schönbühl, a "sad Swiss record", according to Heinzer.
Activists from partner organizations also presented demands, which were acknowledged with clapping and bicycle bells. Meret Schefer from Klimastreik Bern, for example, called on the audience to "fight back against the planned crimes". The co-president of VCS Bern, Claude Grosjean, in turn complained about the noise pollution caused by cars.
Petition and initiative submitted
All the votes were aimed at the same concern: "Traffic problems can be solved in other ways than with new roads," said Heinzer. With this aim in mind, the Spurwechsel association has already taken various political measures.
By means of a petition and an initiative, the association called on the Bernese city government, the cantonal government and the Bern-Mittelland regional conference to take a stand against the expansion projects in the region. Around 1,300 people signed the petition, while the municipal initiative was supported by around 5,900 people.