In Switzerland, where transport is responsible for a third of CO2 emissions, the massive reliance on the car remains relatively unchallenged. Motorway construction has recently raised lively public debates between defenders of a mode of transport that is seen as unavoidable and campaigners for transport that is in line with the federal law on climate protection objectives, innovation and greater energy security. The vote on motorway extensions and the debates it has generated provide a unique opportunity to decipher the ways in which the car divides people. Faced with a preference for the car that remains strong despite its human and environmental costs, the concepts of car brain, car-centric culture, fossil-fuel mentality or motonormativity are developing. Motonormativity can be defined as cultural and psychological biases that (unconsciously) minimise the risks and damage associated with motorised transport.

These concepts are based on the 'car system', shaped by socio-cultural preferences, values and imaginations. However, the question of socio-political preferences and postures in terms of mobility has yet been little explored from the point of view of social and cultural geography, especially in the context of climate change. This perspective will enable us to explore the influence of socio-cultural norms on spatial practices. In the light of these theoretical perspectives, the Swiss context surrounding the motorway extension vote is particularly relevant and significant for questioning motonormativity, but also more generally car dependency and the factors promoting and/or hindering the emergence of a new mobility paradigm. The project will therefore examines:

1) The debates surrounding the recent vote on motorway extensions in Switzerland.
2) Current protest movements against road-building projects in Switzerland and France.
3) The role and status of automobility in contemporary audiovisual culture.