Every morning, thousands of Swiss people start their day stuck in traffic. This chronic stress is poison for both mental and physical health. And it’s a vicious cycle, since healthcare costs related to air and noise pollution amount to billions in Switzerland. Every year, these nuisances cause severe cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Thousands of deaths could be avoided annually. And who pays the price? All of us, through one of the fundamental problems of our daily lives: the ever-increasing cost of health insurance.

By developing active mobility options—walking and cycling—and making public transport affordable, accessible, and high-quality, this initiative encourages a genuine intermodal policy, where each mode of transport complements the others intelligently. It supports the development of car-sharing projects, facilitates connections between trains, buses, bicycles, and walking, and rethinks public space to better serve residents.

Reducing traffic congestion in cities frees up space to widen sidewalks, better protect pedestrians from pollution, and develop wider, safer, and continuous bike paths. This transformation helps create calmer and more pleasant cities to live in. Because quality of life also means a return to peace and safety, both in urban areas and in our villages.

Reducing air and noise pollution also means lessening the burden on healthcare costs, which currently weigh heavily on households. Road noise affects one in seven people in Switzerland, disrupting sleep and increasing the risk of hypertension. In rural areas, reducing
through traffic revitalizes town centers. And a health policy is also a safety policy. Too many parents today fear seeing their children go to school alone given the explosion in the number of increasingly powerful vehicles, such as SUVs, which are especially dangerous for children in collisions. By reducing car traffic, we are transforming our neighborhoods into safe spaces where every generation can move around without fear.

Public health is not an abstract concept; it is the right to sleep peacefully, breathe freely, and see our children grow up in a safe environment. By supporting this project, we are not simply choosing a fare; we are deciding to invest in our daily well-being and protect the future of our healthcare system.