Pork Perturbs Politicians; Traffic Upheaval Announced; Bicycle Drivers Warned

News For 28 June 2016   Politicians representing the Swiss People's Party or SVP have called for an investigation after the Baselland community of Binningen removed pork products from the menus of four primary schools.  SVP representative Susanna Keller expressed her party's outrage at the move at a meeting of the community council accusing administrators of caving to religious minorities.  She continued that pork sausages are an integral part of Swiss cultural heritage and that the school was failing to promote integration.  The Binningen community council claimed that the school system had conducted a survey indicating that some families were vegetarian or didn't want pork on the menu - but did not ask people to indicate the reasons for their preferences.  In addition, they indicated that their action did not amount to a pork ban.  As the school system now enters summer holidays, the investigation and its results will have to wait until September.   ******************   The BVB announced more details for commuters regarding their construction plans for Falknerstrasse between Barfusserplatz and Schifflande.  Starting the 4th of July and lasting almost four weeks, the street will be completely closed to all types of traffic, including bicyclers, buses and autos.  Pedestrians will still be able to traverse the thoroughfare, in specially designated foot paths while the construction continues.  The construction will replace tram tracks that have come to the end of their useful lives.  According to the BVB buildings and shops with entrances on the affected streets will remain open.   Passengers normally riding the 1,6,7,11,14,15,16,17 and 21 lines will need to disembark at Schifflande, Theater or Bankverein and walk to where service resumes on the far side of the construction zone.     **************** Last Thursday, the Justice and Security Department of BaselStadt announced the results of a traffic inspection of motorist and bicyclist compliance with road rules.  The shocking results were that every three minutes, a bicyclist ignores a red light.  The results were measured at the corner of Arnold-BocklinStrasse and Steinening.  What's worrying officials is that the city has undertaken a massive program of creating additional bicycle lanes, and bicycle-only roads to reduce motorized traffic congestion in the inner part of the city.  It seems those on bicycles, despite being subject to the same rules as cars, have a greater propensity to ignore them.  In response, the police have been instructed to undertake an aggressive campaign of issuing citations to scofflaws on two wheels.