Road tax for cyclists? Switzerland considers taxing cyclists to fund bike lanes, as politician asks: “Are we going to charge children too?”

In news that may offer some inspiration to the anti-cycling tub-thumpers on social media, radio phone-ins, or down the pub banging on about cyclists and their non-payment of the illusory ‘road tax’, Switzerland’s government is currently considering introducing a tax on cyclists to pay for the country’s bourgeoning cycling infrastructure.

In 2018, six years after Switzerland phased out its laws on compulsory insurance for cyclists, three-quarters of the Swiss electorate voted to enshrine cycling in the constitution, pledging the federal government to “promote” cycling and bike paths, along with footpaths and hiking trails, the promotion of which has been included in the constitution since 1977.

Since then, the Swiss Federal Council has passed the Cycle Routes Act, which came into effect in 2023 and sets out plans for the creation of a national, fully connected cycling network by 2040, with the country’s 26 cantons expected to submit their final proposals for the network by 2028. Meanwhile, recent studies have suggested that the proportion of Swiss cyclists on the roads is expected to double by 2050.

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This urge to expand Switzerland’s network of cycle lanes has, however, been met with criticism by some politicians, who have questioned how the 15-year project – which the government says will be subject to a “high investment requirement” – will be funded.

Currently, the construction of cycle lanes in Switzerland is mainly financed using the road building funds of the cantons and local municipalities, with some support from the federal government.

In recent years, some cantons have debated the introduction of a measure which will help fund the building of these cycle lanes by taxing those who will use them – namely cyclists – though votes on this cycling tax have narrowly been rejected in Lucerne last autumn and Basel-Landschaft in late 2023.

But now the debate appears to have reached national level, after the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) announced that it has hired a consultancy firm to carry out a study identifying new sources of funding for the country’s ambitious cycling project.

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One of the funding models currently being considered by the study is based on aligning cyclists and the proposed bike lanes with the direct “user-pays” principle which affects motorists, who in Switzerland pay an annual vehicle tax, along with purchasing a 40 Swiss Franc tax disc every year.

This cycling tax, if introduced, could possibly be implemented, says transport minister Albert Rösti, as either an annual fee, a physical or digital vignette, or a surcharge added to the purchase of each bike in the country.

The 2024 UCI world road championships in Zurich (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

When questioned by the Swiss press on the study, a spokesperson for ASTRA insisted that none of these possible taxes are on the table just yet, due to the study’s recent launch. The roads authority noted that the research, work on which commenced last autumn, is independent, open-ended, and does not represent “a declaration of intent or wishes” on the part of the federal government.

ASTRA also noted that building an attractive and safe cycling network is essential for “everyday life and leisure”, and that research into how the cantons and municipalities will fund this expansion is “important”.

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Unsurprisingly, the initiative has divided Swiss political opinion. Matthias Aebischer, a councillor for the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and the president of the Pro-Velo cycling advocacy group, has called for the study to be scrapped, arguing that it will “lead to car drivers being pitted against cyclists”.

Aebischer also argued that the money used for the research would be better spent elsewhere. “For example, one could show in a study how the [recently binned] NAF motorway pot could be used for climate-friendly transport,” he said.

However, MP Xavier de Haller – the president of the Vaud branch of the Automobile Club of Switzerland – told The Local this week that a financial contribution from cyclists to pay for the construction and maintenance of cycle lanes, “even a modest one”, is “entirely logical”.

And right-wing Swiss People’s Party councillor Benjamin Giezendanner – who in 2022 demanded that cyclists should bear the “infrastructure costs for bicycle traffic” themselves – said “it’s time to talk about it again”.

“The Cycle Path Act has given cyclists more rights,” says Giezendanner, who owns a transport company. “It is consistent if they also take on financial responsibilities.”

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Nevertheless, De Haller’s fellow deputy, Louise Trottet – who is also a member of Pro-Velo – believes any future cycling tax would lead to a number of “absurdities”, particularly concerning the fate of children riding bikes on the new cycle paths.

“Are we going to tax them too?" she asked.

In addition, Trottet pointed out that many cyclists also own cars, so already pay the same taxes as motorists for the upkeep of the roads.

And while the focus may currently be on the proposed cycling tax, Trottet’s Pro-Velo group has this week criticised some cantons for dragging their feet when it comes to implementing the Cycle Routes Act.

The campaign group claimed that the act “gives the cantons duties and deadlines to respect. Some cantons show that they take them seriously, by presenting introductory laws shortly after entry into force. Others are lagging behind.”

Just don’t mention road tax, eh?