The Zurich model is the approach by the city of
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
in Switzerland that permitted its
public transportation
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...
system to achieve and maintain a high market share. Many other cities have emulated elements of it, especially when new tram systems were introduced.
History
In the 1970s, Zurich was planning to move many of the
tram lines in its central area into tunnels. This project was rejected in a
referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
. In the 1970s, a project to create an
underground railway was similarly rejected.
Despite the failures of these attempts to provide Zurich with a different kind of transportation system, public transportation in Zurich has maintained a high
modal split
A modal share (also called mode split, mode-share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type. In freight transportation, this may be measured in mass.
Modal share ...
, with 65% of people commuting within the city doing so by public transport and only 17% using cars.
[ In his book, '' Status Anxiety'', ]Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton (; born 20 December 1969) is a Swiss-born British author and public speaker. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. He published ''Essays in Love'' (1993) ...
has suggested why the model is so effective:
Elements of the model
*A dense network providing many direct connections and short headways.
*High priorities at intersections.
*Low impact of road congestion on operations.
* Parking maximums (introduced in 1989), followed by parking limits in the downtown (1996).
See also
* Health impact of light rail systems
*Karlsruhe model
The Karlsruhe model is a tram-train system which consists of tram/light rail trains and commuter/regional rail trains running on the same set of tracks, generally between or outside of urban areas. It was initially developed and implemented in ...
*Melbourne Principles The "Melbourne Principles" for Sustainable Cities are ten short statements on how cities can become more sustainable. They were developed in Melbourne (Australia) on 2 April 2002 during an international Charrette, sponsored by the United Nations E ...
*Public transport in Zurich
Public transport in Zurich is available for four main Mode of transport, modes of transport—boat, bus, train and tram—assisting residents of and visitors to Zurich move around the of List of cities in Switzerland, Switzerland's largest city ...
**Trams in Zurich
Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zurich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods, and is the backbone of public transport within the city, albeit supplemented by the inner sections of ...
**Trolleybuses in Zurich
The Zurich trolleybus system () is part of the Public transport in Zurich, public transport network of Zurich, Switzerland. Opened in 1939, it integrates with the Zurich S-Bahn, the Trams in Zurich, Zurich tramway network and the city's urban ...
**Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich
Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its c ...
**Zürcher Verkehrsverbund
The Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), is the largest public transportation network in Switzerland. It covers the canton of Zurich and adjacent areas. All modes of public transportation (rail, light rail, bus, trolleybus, lake passenger liner, fun ...
**Zurich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn () system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Glarus, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, ...
* Zurich underground railway
References
Public transport in Switzerland
Transport in Zurich
Transportation planning
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