Open Data Insight of the Day

In January 2026, Basel's traffic counting stations recorded a total of 12,165,154 vehicles across various categories. The city operates 45 counting stations for motorized traffic, 28 for bicycles, and 26 for pedestrians. These stations utilize advanced technologies like induction loops and thermicams to accurately measure traffic volumes without collecting personal data.

Motorized traffic in Basel is categorized by street type, with the city hosting several stations for each category. The station with the highest monthly traffic was the A3-A35, Grenze CH-F, which recorded 744,011 vehicles. Figure 1 provides a map of all active stations in January 2026, while Figure 2 illustrates the average weekday traffic at the Heuwaage station, highlighting commuter flow patterns. Detailed results for all active motorized traffic counting stations, including comparisons with the average monthly values over the past year and the same month from the previous year, are available in Table 1 and Table 2.

For pedestrian and bicycle traffic, Basel has 26 and 28 counting stations, respectively. The busiest pedestrian station was at Gerbergasse, a popular shopping street, as shown in Figure 3, which highlights higher weekend traffic from noon to 4 pm. The Wettsteinbrücke station recorded the most bicycle traffic, with Figure 4 illustrating the distinct patterns of weekday commuter traffic compared to weekends.

Comparing January 2026 to the same month in the previous year, there was a notable decrease in traffic across all categories. Bicycle traffic decreased by 14.71%, motorized traffic by 17.56%, and pedestrian traffic by 8.15%, considering only the stations active in both years. The number of stations with increased traffic was 10 for bicycles, 14 for motorized traffic, and 10 for pedestrians. When compared to the average of the last 12 months, traffic levels remained consistent across all categories, with no significant differences noted.

For those interested in exploring Basel's traffic data further, the traffic counting dashboard offers comprehensive insights and visualizations.