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Zurich – The Canton of Zurich has announced that it intends to support technological developments in passenger and freight transport in a timely manner and promote them if need be. The Office of Transport in the cantonal Department for Economic Affairs will be assigned these new tasks and transformed into an Office of Mobility.

Demands on passenger and freight traffic are expected to increase in the coming years as a result of population growth, according to the Canton of Zurich’s Department for Economic Affairs. It predicts increased congestion in public transport and road traffic, as well as a change of mobility behavior in the wake of technological developments and societal changes.

For this reason, the Department for Economic Affairs is particularly keen on identifying technological developments in the field of mobility “even earlier in the future”. It also intends to create “suitable conditions” for the mobility of the future and provide “targeted” support to corresponding developments. It mentions “cross-modal mobility platforms and the preparation of transport infrastructure for automated operation” as an example of this.

In order to be able to achieve these goals, the Office of Transport, which falls under the Department for Economic Affairs, should be assigned these additional tasks and transformed into an Office of Mobility. The new office will act as a catalyst for strengthening and developing Zurich as a successful business location.

“The profound experiences of the coronavirus crisis will kick off a new discussion on mobility in the canton of Zurich,” said Carmen Walker Späh, Head of the Department for Economic Affairs, adding that this is needed to “ensure that our canton, with its high quality of life and strong economy can continue to have such an outstanding infrastructure and world-class mobility service in the future”.