UmverkehR - actif-trafiC

UmverkehR - actif-trafiC is a Swiss independent association focused on transport policy and environmental protection. It was founded in 1992, originating from a movement that began in Winterthur in 1990, and it campaigns for a sustainable transport concept that serves pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and public-transport users alike. The organisation is bilingual and multilingual in its public identity: it is known as umverkehR in German-speaking Switzerland, actif-trafiC in French-speaking Switzerland and Straffico in Italian-speaking Switzerland. Its typographic style — a lowercase initial and a capital final letter (the "C" in French, the "R" in German) — is intended to express the idea of radical social transformation. The association describes itself as independent and supported by nearly 65,000 sympathisers. It maintains a central secretariat in Zurich (umverkehR, Idaplatz 3) and a Romandie secretariat in Geneva (actif-trafiC, rue des Savoises 15), with a total of about four full-time positions plus the unpaid commitment of its committee and volunteers. Its stated vision is based on universal values, asserting that every human being has the right to decent living conditions; sustainability, a "living democracy" and non-violence are central. It argues that industrialised countries must reduce their energy and resource consumption "by a factor of three to ten", and it opposes what it sees as the predominance granted to individual motorised traffic. Its methods range from federal popular initiatives to street actions, petitions, debates, festivals and specific studies. It publishes a magazine four to five times a year (UmverkehRen in German) and has produced numerous studies, including analyses of public-transport provision in Swiss cities and agglomerations. Its historical high point was the 1994 popular initiative "to halve motorised road traffic in order to maintain and improve living spaces", which was submitted in 1996 with 108,857 signatures and rejected at the ballot on 12 March 2000 with 21.5% in favour. A second planned initiative, "Bella Svizzera, for mobility with a future", was abandoned in 2004. In the 2000s and 2010s the association shifted much of its energy to the "Initiative des villes" (city initiative) campaign, launching popular initiatives in Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Zurich in 2008 and in Geneva in 2009, seeking to increase the share of public transport in urban travel. St. Gallen's initiative was accepted in March 2010; counter-projects were accepted in Lucerne and Basel in autumn 2010; and Geneva's "initiative for soft mobility" passed narrowly with 50.3% in May 2011. More recently, the association has campaigned against additional domestic flights in Switzerland, for a fair tax on airline tickets and private jets through the "mobility vouchers" initiative, against private jets, against mega-motorways, and under the slogan "No 50°C summers!" for immediate climate adaptation and mitigation measures. It remains an active, independent civil-society organisation rather than a commercial enterprise.

The movement that became UmverkehR - actif-trafiC originated in Winterthur in 1990. In 1992 an association in favour of halving motorised road traffic was founded under the name "rétro-trafic". The organisation's starting point was the initiative aimed at dividing individual motorised traffic by two, and it has continued to pursue the objective of reducing traffic and making it less polluting and less space-consuming. In 1994 the popular initiative "to halve motorised road traffic in order to maintain and improve living spaces" was launched. It was submitted in 1996 with 108,857 signatures and was rejected at the ballot on 12 March 2000 with 21.5% in favour. A second popular initiative was planned under the name "Bella Svizzera, for mobility with a future", but the association ultimately abandoned it in 2004. On the reactive side, actif-trafiC took part in 2003 in the opposition to the "Avanti" initiative of the Touring Club Suisse. The association also innovated by organising cultural events aimed at a young public: "Air Vision", a techno-dance festival for the environment in 1997, and "Swiss Sound Mobility", a festival in Zurich in 1999. It also used humour, as in the "Espresso" action of 2002 calling for a doubling of road traffic. In 2005 it merged with the committee of the popular initiative "for a car-free Sunday per season — a trial limited to four years", because the two organisations had similar objectives. In 2007 the "Initiative des villes" (city initiative) campaign was launched: popular initiatives demanding an increase in the share of public transport in urban travel were launched in 2008 in Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Zurich. A similar initiative was launched in Geneva in 2009. The St. Gallen initiative was accepted in March 2010, where future growth was to be limited to pedestrian and cycling mobility and public transport. Counter-projects were accepted in autumn 2010 in Lucerne, which called for a municipal regulation "for the sustainable development of transport", and in Basel, where the canton was to reduce car traffic within the city by 10% within 10 years. Geneva's "initiative for soft mobility" was narrowly accepted with 50.3% of the vote in May 2011. actif-trafiC has published various studies: in 2002 it claimed that implementing the "road lobby" projects over the following 20 years would cost 100 billion francs; in 2004 it estimated the cost of public-transport infrastructure projects at 25 billion francs over 20 years. Several studies focused on public transport in Switzerland. In 2003 the offerings of 44 Swiss agglomerations were compared. In 2006 the study was titled "Public transport generates jobs". In 2012 a third "analysis of public-transport provision" compared 53 Swiss agglomerations and cities; its conclusions showed that in French-speaking Switzerland the public-transport offering was worse than in German-speaking Switzerland, in particular because of the absence of priority at traffic lights and price increases. These studies were partly carried out by volunteers. More recently, the association has campaigned against additional domestic flights in Switzerland, for a fair tax on airline tickets and private jets proportional to the pollution generated through the "mobility vouchers" initiative, against private jets, against mega-motorways, and under the slogan "No 50°C summers!" for immediate climate adaptation and mitigation measures. It describes itself as an independent association supported by nearly 65,000 people, campaigning for sustainable mobility since 1992, with a central secretariat in Zurich and a Romandie secretariat in Geneva.

• 2026

  Campaigns against more domestic flights, for the "mobility vouchers" initiative, and "No 50°C summers!" demonstrations.

• 2012

  Third "analysis of public-transport provision" comparing 53 Swiss agglomerations and cities.

• 2011

  Geneva "initiative for soft mobility" accepted with 50.3% in May.

• 2010

  St. Gallen initiative accepted in March; counter-projects accepted in Lucerne and Basel in autumn.

• 2009

  Similar initiative launched in Geneva.

• 2008

  Popular initiatives launched in Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Zurich.

• 2007

  "Initiative des villes" campaign launched.

• 2006

  Study "Public transport generates jobs".

• 2005

  Merger with the committee of the "car-free Sunday per season" initiative.

• 2004

  Abandonment of the planned "Bella Svizzera" initiative; study estimating public-transport infrastructure costs at 25 billion francs over 20 years.

• 2003

  Participation in opposition to the Touring Club Suisse "Avanti" initiative; study comparing public transport in 44 Swiss agglomerations.

• 2002

  "Espresso" action calling for a doubling of road traffic; study claiming road-lobby projects would cost 100 billion francs over 20 years.

• 2000

  Initiative rejected at the ballot on 12 March with 21.5% in favour.

• 1999

  "Swiss Sound Mobility" festival in Zurich.

• 1997

  "Air Vision" techno-dance festival for the environment.

• 1996

  Initiative submitted with 108,857 signatures.

• 1994

  Popular initiative to halve motorised road traffic launched.

• 1992

  Association founded under the name "rétro-trafic".

• 1990

  Movement originates in Winterthur.

Independent, non-violent Swiss civil-society organisation campaigning for sustainable mobility, reduced motorised traffic and climate action; operates through popular initiatives, studies and public actions rather than commercial products.

• UmverkehRen / actif-trafiC magazine

  Published four to five times a year.

• Public-transport provision analyses

  Studies comparing public-transport offerings in Swiss agglomerations and cities (2003, 2006, 2012).

• Cost studies on transport infrastructure

  Studies estimating costs of road-lobby projects (2002) and public-transport infrastructure (2004).

1. 1actif-trafiC official websiteactif-trafic.ch
2. 2À propos | actif-trafiCactif-trafic.ch
3. 3Contact | actif-trafiCactif-trafic.ch
4. 4UmverkehR - actif-trafiC on Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Actif-trafiC on French Wikipediafr.wikipedia.org