Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The number of hours the Swiss spent in traffic jams fell to 10 048 in  2008, the lowest in seven years, the federal roads department says, and this despite a 1 percent increase in traffic on Swiss roads last year. The increase was smaller than in recent years, however, which has averaged 2.4 percent. While the reasons for the drop are not clear, the rhythm was normal at the start of the year but fell in the second half of the year, suggesting a link to the weaker economy, says the government. Zurich was the black spot, with 2,794 hours of jams, compared to  697 hours around Lausanne and 228 near Geneva.

Drivers increased the hours spent in jams due to heavier traffic, but the number of hours due to roadworks was down sharply, by some 40 percent.

Roadworks accounted for 724 hours of slowdowns while accidents were responsible for 1,722 hours and the increase in traffic for 379 hours. The other major factor is weather, which caught drives in 140 hours of traffic jams.

The other good news is that truck traffic over the Alps fell by