Zurich First-HandRosengartenstrasse – canton blocks safer crossings, city considers an appeal
The cantonal government has refused to approve a project for two street-level pedestrian and bike crossings, although the city parliament had approved the money. The city executive says it is “disconcerted”.
According to the city, around 55,000 cars a day use Rosengartenstrasse in Wipkingen. About 3,000 people along this route live above the legal noise limit, 1,000 of them even above the alarm level.
What the city wanted to build
The road project included two new street-level, step-free crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, plus improvements for public transport. The city parliament (Gemeinderat) approved the spending on 19 November 2025 by 80 votes to 40.
What the canton decided
The cantonal government (Regierungsrat) has refused to approve the project. According to the city, the cantonal mobility office had assessed the project positively. City councillor Simone Brander, head of the civil engineering department, says there is “no objective reason” for the refusal.
The city stresses that federal law obliges it to reduce the noise, but that it cannot do so because of the cantonal government’s “long-standing blockade”.