For the first time in 17 years, the Swiss parliament has decided to raise the price for the mandatory annual sticker - or vignette - that allows motorists access to the nation's motorways.

In a move likely to infuriate many drivers, the price of the Swiss vignette looks certain to soar from 40 francs ($43) to 100 ($107) francs after the upper house gave the green light on Thursday 21.09.2012. Defending the plan, the Swiss government claims the price is still low compared to the cost of tolls or road tax in other countries.

The proposed hike is expected to come into effect in 2014 or 2015, or whenever reserves for the upkeep of Swiss motorways - financed both by fuel taxes and the vignette - drop below one billion francs.

For motorists crossing the country but bound for other destinations, or those visiting the country temporarily, a cheaper version will be available for 40 francs ($43). This will only be valid for two months.

TL

Would they find a solucion for the renting cars? I am coming to Schwyz once a month from Germany and have to buy a new vignette every time - on my rented car - 100.-- franks will make that 1200 a year : and I know many more that are in the same situation ... looks like theft. Or will there alternatively be some "per person"?

The Swiss highway vignette may be cheap taken in isolation but if you look at the price of road tax, insurance, car prices, servicing etc.. It makes this one of the most expensive countries to run a car... So a 150% hike is a bit of a piss take. Looks like the UK government racket of paying more for less is starting to creep in here

On the plus side, this is something that affects foreigners as much as residents, so it will have one of two effects (or a mixture of both) in bringing in more foreign revenue to subsidise road costs, rather than increasing car tax or fuel prices, and/or in reducing the number of foreigners clogging up the roads when I want to use them.

Either way it's actually a net gain for us Swissies.

Cling film is the answer.

Allegedly.

Why do you say that? It's still very cheap compared to most other countries that charge for motorway use.

All feedback I have seen on Swiss online newspaper web sites was that almost everyone considered it still quite reasonable, definitely not something to get worked up about.

maybe they can raise it to 100chfs per month, or 1000 if bought in a year.

What it is likely to do is block up the lesser highways that are toll free and bring more traffic into towns...I know when my Uncle came from Austria he took the back roads to avoid buying the vignette. They need a system more like Austria and have a 10 day one for 10-15 CHF, but this being Switzerland, I suppose it "must" be more expensive...

Yes this is clearly the end of the world, 5 CHF more / month...

For tourist and visitors just passing switzerland it's a lot, so the Austrian system would be better...

I agree. Look around you, at the cars on the road, at the prices that have been paid for new cars and second-hand too as well as the cost of their upkeep - and people are complaining about paying Fr.60.00 more per year (or Fr.5.00 per month) for being able to travel for thousands of kilometres on well-kept roads and tunnels without once having to stop at a toll booth.

So far the parliament didn't decide anything. It was decided by the Ständerat and now has to go back to the Nationalrat who opted for an increase of CHF 30.00.

One of the clever ways to force motorists to become commuters by impeccably running public transport, which I loathe and prefer luxury over platform squatting and waiting for announcement how many minutes the train will be delayed during chilly autumn days

BTW: It might look like CH roads are cheap compare to toll roads elsewhere but one mustn't forget to add insurance, road taxes and running costs which makes it in total even more expensive than in other countries.

This is what I found in the newspaper the local that answers your question:
"For motorists crossing the country but bound for other destinations, or those visiting the country temporarily, a cheaper version will be available for 40 francs ($43). This will only be valid for two months."

Why don't you ask if you can have the same car that you rented the last time, the one with the sticker on it?

Normally I wouldn't tell you this, but as a special case I will give you a tip: Stick the Vignette onto a piece of flat smooth clear kitchen cling film. Then stick the kitchen film side to the windscreen with very little UHU paper glue. After renting you can carefully scrape off the vignette with a razor blade, carefully peel off the vignette and repeat the process onto a fresh piece of film.

Better solution than the UHU paper glue.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...E02LECIE204A00

This spray glue is used to do mock-ups in art studios. It is a bit like the Post-it effect. It allows the vignette on plastic wrap to be peeled off and put on another vehicle.

Well 100 in my mind is not so bad to drive on pristine well maintained roads,
tunnels that are ventilated, with good signage, flashing LED's etc, quite
different from the land of the declining infrastructure the good old USA.

100 choofas is pretty reasonable considering quality of infrastructure especially when the same amount doesn't you far on FR or IT toll roads.

Don't forget the vingette has been set at CHF40 for how many years? Iirc, when we did a piece about driving in Switzerland for BBC Radio 4's "Going Places" programme back in the late 70s it was CHF20. So one increase in 30+ years. Can you say the same for tolls in other countries? No way. And you still have road tax, insurance, servicing in other countries which often go up year after year while here they stay at the same price or only a few francs difference in that time.

I pity the poor souls who have to use the Dartford Crossing every day. £1.50 one way, £3 a day x say 40 weeks = £600 just for 2-3 miles? Come on!

I don't like this news at all... that means prices of everything including food are going to go sky high...even more that what they already are. It has to be all factored into transportation costs after all.