A trial that aims to discourage car use on one of Zurich’s busiest streets has raked in CHF1.3 million (US$1.44 million) in fines in just one month. Sixty metres of the busy Langstrasse street have been closed to cars during the day since the end of September with the goal of creating more space for cyclists.
In January, the city’s police installed cameras that automatically record the licence plates of offenders – with 17,310 drivers fined CHF100 within a month.
Speaking to Cities Today, Zurich’s Director of Urban Development Anna Schindler said that the plans may need some adjustment. “The pilot is for a year, so now we are looking if we want to adjust something, maybe it’s not the best system. It’s a means of earning some money [for the city], but it shouldn’t be such a high figure, because this means something in the system isn’t working.”