"Now they just sneak past"Residents in Aargau municipality oppose 30 km/h speed limit
Tobias Benz
2.2.2025
Schartenstrasse in Wettingen is currently a 30 km/h zone.
Picture:Google Maps
In the municipality of Wettingen AG, the trial operation of a 30 km/h zone is meeting with resistance. Some of this comes from the residents themselves. An online petition has received strong support.
02.02.2025, 20:08
02.02.2025, 20:16
Tobias Benz
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The trial introduction of a 30 km/h speed limit on Schartenstrasse in Wettingen AG has triggered resistance.
Two petitions are calling for a return to 50 km/h, one of which has already collected over 800 signatures. The initiator is a local resident herself and criticizes the measure as unnecessary.
The municipality, on the other hand, sees the developments as positive.
A speed limit of 30 km/h applies on Schartenstrasse in the municipality of Wettingen AG. Since September 2024 as a test operation for one year. The reason: as the cantonal roads are very busy, many drivers use the road as an alternative route.
With the test, the municipal council was responding to various initiatives from the population. According to the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper, 251 people supported the call for a 30 km/h speed limit in 2022, primarily with regard to the safety of schoolchildren and cyclists.
According to earlier surveys, over 5,000 vehicles pass through the road every day, around 60 percent of which are through traffic. Schartenstrasse connects the northern village area of Wettingen and also serves as a cycle route. The aim of the test operation is to examine the impact on through traffic and the safety of road users.
Resident launches petition
However, there is now resistance to the project - from local residents of all people. "This road is very wide. It has a cycle path on both sides and a sidewalk, so a 30 km/h speed limit is certainly not necessary here," says a petition on the "petitio.ch" platform.
The proposal calls for a return to a 50 km/h speed limit and has already been supported by over 800 people. "This road is not as busy as is always claimed. I have lived on Schartenstrasse all my life," the letter says - and continues: "We would like to have a speed limit of 50 km/h on Schartenstrasse again. It is always claimed that the surveys have shown that it is much quieter. We do not agree with this and, moreover, we have never been asked about this issue."
Mostly positive feedback according to the municipality
Politicians have a different opinion. In December 2024, local councillor Kirsten Ernst, who is responsible for traffic in Wettingen, drew a positive conclusion for the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper.
According to her, through traffic had decreased significantly. In addition, the feedback from the population was overwhelmingly positive. A significant improvement was felt at night in particular. This has led to an improved quality of sleep for local residents.
Ernst explains that the municipality has been carrying out various noise measurements and extensive traffic counts since the introduction, but points out that there is still no basis for an objective assessment, as these figures will only be evaluated after six months.
"Now they just sneak past"
The resident behind the petition doesn't want to know anything about it. Her bedroom is located directly on Schartenstrasse, she tells theBadener Tagblatt, but she doesn't think it has become any quieter. "Now they just sneak past."
The traffic had never been particularly loud before, apart from the usual morning and evening rush hours. The 30 km/h speed limit hasn't changed that either. "I want the municipality to see that many people are not in favor of this measure," says the initiator.
The petition on "petitio.ch" will run for another 20 days (as of Sunday). A second petition has also been launched on the same website. This also calls for a return to the 50 km/h speed limit.