Storm Winds Stir; Swiss Contemplate New Gotthard Tunnel; Shrinkage for SwissCom; New Home For Nordstern Club; Petition Success for Bicycles-Only Ring-Road

News For 9 February 2016

The unusual weather you may have noticed over the last few days, bringing winds of over 100 km per hour in some areas is part of a greater storm system that originated in the Atlantic a week ago.  In addition to the gale force winds, unusually high temperatures (in Basel as high as 15 degrees celsius) have been reported by MeteoSwiss, the swiss weather service.  Boat service along the ports of Lake Geneva have been disrupted affecting local commuters and are not expected to resume until tomorrow.  The high winds were also a nuisance to ski resort operators, particularly in the Bernese Oberland, where closures are adding to a delayed and shortened ski season.  Fortunately, weather experts believe that by Wednesday normal winter like conditions will resume.

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Four proposals are under consideration to be voted on by the Swiss on Sunday the 28th of February.  The outcome of the first will determine if a second Gotthard tunnel for automobile traffic will be built.   Not to be confused with the rail tunnel that's been under construction for the last 10 years, and set to be opened this June, the tunnel under consideration is meant to relieve traffic while the existing tunnel undergoes maintenance.  At an estimated cost of 2.8 billion francs, the government claims the tunnel will improve safety and ensure uninterrupted traffic flow.  Once opened, the two tunnels would operate simultaneously - one in each direction of traffic.  There is however, a vocal opposition - citing increased pollution, and extra traffic in the feeder roads and communities surrounding the planned tunnel.  One opposition group called "the Alpine Initiative" has even managed to gather enough signatures to sponsor an opposing referendum question.

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Swisscom, Switzerland’s biggest telecom company, is cutting 700 jobs after announcing on Thursday a 20 percent drop in net profits for 2015 from the previous year.

But in a letter to shareholders, Swisscom said it was holding its ground despite a more challenging environment.

The company outlined a plan to cut its annual cost base by 300 million francs a year by 2020, which will involve “headcount reductions”, with 700 employees leaving the company.

Among other measures, Swisscom is reducing the number of its call centres from 14 to eight by the end of this year.

Sites will be closed in Geneva, Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne and Rapperswil (in St. Gallen), with employees to be transferred to remaining call centres around the country.

By the end of the year, Swisscom said it expects its workforce of around 21,600 will be “slightly smaller” than in the prior year.

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Fans of the Basel Nightclub Nordstern can breathe a sigh of relief.  The club, which recently won its fourth annual Swiss Nightlife Award naming it the best club in Switzerland had its future cast in doubt as its lease was set to expire this spring without finding a new venue.  The club even had a Closing Party scheduled for the end of April when Basel club impresario Agron Isaku announced his involvement and the impending announcement of Nordstern's new address.  Hinting at a larger venue with restaurant and outdoor space, many observers now speculate the club will take over the ship docked in Kleinhuningen that's been vacated by the Das Schiff club.

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We first reported in early 2016 that the Basel Bicycle Association "Pro Velo" began advocating for a series of Bicycle-only commuter ring roads around the city.  Since then, they've managed to collect the necessary 3000 signatures in a petition to force a canton-wide referendum on the initiative.  If successful, the project estimates the initial ring-road will cost 25 million swiss francs.  The ring would function as the backbone of a greater city-wide network, which would enhance the overall bicycling experience in Basel, and reduce traffic congestion from commuters.  The biggest construction and cost associated with the plan would be a bicycles-only crossing of the Rhine, and a bike bridge over the French railway tracks near the zoo.  Specifications further call for the envisioned ring road to allow for 2 bicycles abreast in each direction throughout its length and connecting residential, school, commercial and entertainment zones.