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SWISS REFERENDUM

Zurich to vote on improving naturalisation requirements

On Sunday, May 15th, Zurich voters will head to the polls to vote on making naturalisation easier for the estimated 350,000 foreigners who live there, along with three other canton-specific questions. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 12 May 2022 09:58 CEST
Updated: 14 May 2022 09:40 CEST
Zurich voters will cast their ballots on easier naturalisation. Photo by ANDY MUELLER / EQ IMAGES / AFP
Zurich voters will cast their ballots on easier naturalisation. Photo by ANDY MUELLER / EQ IMAGES / AFP

Sunday, May 15th, sees the latest round of Swiss referenda. 

On a federal level, three questions are up for consideration: Netflix and streaming, organ donation rules and Frontex. More information on these votes are available at the following links. 

READ MORE: What is the ‘Netflix vote’ and how could it change TV in Switzerland?

EXPLAINED: What Switzerland’s ‘organ donation’ vote means for you

Frontex: How Switzerland’s ‘border vote’ on May 15th could impact travel

There are also dozens of referendum questions being asked at a cantonal level all across the country. 

What is on the ballot in Zurich on May 15th?

In addition to the above federal votes, there will be several other issues put to the voters in the canton of Zurich on Sunday. 

Perhaps the most relevant for Local readers is the referendum on improving the naturalisation process, including making the system uniform across each of the canton’s 162 municipalities. 

Detailed information is available at the following link. 

EXPLAINED: How Zurich wants to make naturalisation easier

Zurich voters will also decide on lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. 

This would make it only the second canton to have lowered the voting age from 18 to 16, following on from Glarus, who did so in 2007. 

Referendum: Zurich to vote on lower voting age

Another question for voters to consider is putting the commitment to curb climate change in the cantonal constitution. 

According to the Zurich government “the planned new constitutional article defines the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality, or “net zero” for short.”

“It gives the canton and the municipalities a binding mandate to work towards limiting climate change and its effects. It also defines the fields of action for measures and creates the basis for the promotion of suitable technologies, materials and processes.”

The fourth question for Zurich voters to consider looks to expand parental leave. 

Currently, mothers are entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave and fathers two weeks in Switzerland. 

Under the Zurich plan, both parents would be entitled to 18 weeks of parental leave, provided they live in the canton of Zurich. 

Parents who work in Zurich but do not live in Zurich will be entitled to 14 weeks each, rather than 18. 

The plan will be funded by additional employer and employee contributions. 

More information about all of the questions can be found here (in German). 

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ZURICH

Why does Zurich need airbags on the front of its trams?

Due to a recent spate of fatal accidents, authorities in Switzerland’s largest city are looking for ways to make tramway tracks more secure for pedestrians.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:40 CEST
Why does Zurich need airbags on the front of its trams?

Three fatal tram accidents occurred in Zurich in the span of five days in early March.

In one, a pedestrian fell between the tram and the platform at the Oerlikon Ost stop; the victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died the next morning.

Next, a cyclist collided with a tram in District 5, succumbing to his injuries the next day.

The same day, another pedestrian fell under a tram at Zurich’s main train station, dying at the scene of the accident.

Though all three events happened in quick succession, accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists colliding with public transport in Zurich are not a new phenomenon.

“In recent years, accidents involving personal injuries have increased steadily,” said city official Michele Romagnolo. “People are crushed by trams and die. We can’t stand idly by.”

What is being done to prevent this type of deaths in the future?

The Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) and tram manufacturer Alstom are currently testing airbags that inflate when a tram hits a pedestrian.

This mechanism would be triggered by a sensor on the front of the driver’s cab, and is intended to reduce the impact and consequences of a collision between the trams and pedestrians or cyclists.

According to Heinz Schulthess, president of the tram drivers’ association, “in head-on accidents, people first hit their heads on the window and then fall to the ground. An airbag pushes a person away, largely preventing the impact and minimising the risk of death.”

During this test phase, engineers are also looking into ways to increase the speed of airbag deployment and develop a mechanism for quick folding, so that the tram can resume operation immediately after an incident.

When would this system be deployed?

The trial run is expected to be completed in summer of 2024.

“What happens next depends on the results,” the VBZ spokesperson Leo Herrmann said.

Are any other safety measures under consideration as well?

According to Schulthess, another way to increase tram safety would be to install red LED lights along the tracks on the ground.

They would serve to would warn people crossing the tram tracks while staring at their smartphones.

“The main cause of accidents are pedestrians crossing the street without paying attention,” he said.

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