Zermatt Magazin 2015

88 Zermatt Magazin | Zermatt Geschichte
The first motorised
road transport
Right up to the 1970s, locals and
guests in the Zermatt region travelled
primarily on foot, by bicycle,
in horse-drawn carts or by
mule. Local lore has it that the
first vehicle powered by a combustion
engine reached Zermatt
in 1910. 37 years later Karl Graven
drove the first electric vehicle
through the streets. Originally
these were battery-powered carts
with a drawbar, as used in the
past by the Swiss Postal Service
to deliver parcels.
At the end of 2014 Zermatt had
a total of 550 licensed electric vehicles
in the stipulated size and
in different configurations. This
figure includes 41 taxis and ten
public buses.
police licence. The emergency
services and paramedics also have
free access. Cantonal permission
has been granted to open the road
for the supply and disposal of provisions
and waste via vans and
trucks. Today, these vehicles are restricted
to a maximum weight of
3.6 to 28.0 t (with trailer) and 3.6
to 32.0 t (without trailer).
When the snow conditions and the
avalanche situation allows, the road
connection can also be used during
the winter months. Unfortunately,
on 2 March 1985 an avalanche
occurred above Täsch, burying a
minibus taxi and a car. All eleven
occupants were killed. In the light
of this tragic accident, a new public
opinion poll was carried out in Zermatt
in April 1986. This time, 1265
out of 1373 voters agreed to an
expansion of the Täsch – Zermatt
road, while maintaining the access
restrictions. Inhabitants wanted to
ensure the best possible guarantee
of winter safety and the construction
of protective measures against
natural hazards. As a result the
Valais government built an
avalanche gallery between 1988
and 1991 in the particularly critical
area of Täschwang.
In the spring of 1999 a syndicate
was formed, which now operates
under the name of “IG Zufahrt
Zermatt”. Its aim is to implement a
road connection that can be used
all the year round and offer
sufficient protection from natural
hazards, as well as offering improved
parking options at the entrance
to the village.
Together with the construction of
the “Matterhorn Terminal” car
park in Täsch at a cost of 34 million
CHF, the resident’s committee of
Zermatt organised a referendum on
the road expansion issue in March
2005. This gave a majority of 53 per
cent in favour of an adequate, twolane
access road. In accordance
with the will of the people, an expansion
project requiring an investment
of 80 million CHF was set in
motion. The plans included an underground
car park in Spiss (at the
bottom edge of Zermatt) with
around 2,200 parking spaces and
the construction of modern arrival
and departure areas and facilities
for professional guest reception.
However, a number of obstacles
still have to be overcome in terms of
the financing of this construction
work. The Swiss government provided
funding of 30 million CHF
for the “Matterhorn Terminal” car
park. In return it stipulated that for
a 25 year period only sustainable
investments could be approved for
the access road. This agreement is
being contested by the road authorities.
A legal report has concluded
that a resort of this size and importance
nowadays has the right to a
reliable, functioning road access
and that a state ban on expansion is
untenable. The negotiations in this
matter are still ongoing. The matter
may well be settled in the courts.
Regardless of the results, it is clear
that the access road, which is about
6 km in length, is in urgent need of
repair. Along two thirds of its length
it is so narrow that two vehicles
cannot pass each other. Walls also
need strengthening and a certain
amount of resurfacing work needs
to be carried out. The canton of
Valais, as the owner of the road, has
already commissioned some initial
work. In 2013/2014, the section of
road in the Luegelti region (below
Zermatt) was comprehensively renewed.
Further maintenance work
is planned for the coming years.
In 2013 the Täsch – Zermatt road
was unusable on a total of 14 days
as a result of natural hazards and
avalanches. However, in most cases
the closures were only for a matter
of hours. During these times it was
still possible to reach Zermatt by
train.
Safety from natural hazards
Zermatt has almost two million
overnight stays each year. This
means that reliable access is really
important. In order to protect the
railway and road from unpredictable
natural events, additional measures
are needed as well as structural
safeguards. A regional safety office
has been set up in the Mattertal valley,
which works with the authorities
of the canton of Valais to provide
the best possible assessment of
the risks at any time.
All seven valley communities between
Stalden and Zermatt have at
least two trained hazard monitors,
who are on call all the year round.
They assess the natural hazards using
a number of parameters. These
include the automatic recording of
wind data and rain or snowfall
quantities in the villages, in the valley
and in the mountains. This is
complemented by many years of
measurement and experience data.
In winter the hazard assessments of