Federal Council wants to bring cycling into the constitution

The bicycle initiative, submitted in March 2016 with 104,000 signatures, wants to oblige the cantons and the federal government to promote bicycle paths for work and leisure traffic. The Federal Council has now drafted a counter-proposal that supports the fundamental concerns of the initiative, because:

"Cycling can help break traffic peaks and contributes to reducing domestic CO2 and energy consumption. In addition, cycling promotes health. The Federal Council therefore considers a stronger commitment in the area of cycling routes to be fundamentally sensible and expedient," it writes in a media release.

Federal government should support instead of plan

Thus, as requested in the constitutional article 88 on footpaths and hiking trails, the bicycle paths should now also be included. The weakening concerns the responsibilities: The initiative demands that the federal government promotes and coordinates the measures of the cantons. This goes too far for the Federal Council: it wants planning, construction and maintenance to remain in principle with the cantons and municipalities and sees the federal government only in a supporting role.

Initiators welcome the proposal

The initiators of the bicycle initiative, a sponsorship of 28 organizations and parties, welcome the counter-proposal and call it "a commitment by the Federal Council to promote cycling". They emphasize that the entire population benefits when more people choose cycling as a means of transport: the health of the individual, the environment, but also the other road users, as the roads and public transport are relieved.

The consultation on the Federal Council's counter-proposal to the Velo Initiative is now starting and will last for three months, until November 17, 2016.