The Geneva International Motor Show 2018 opens in two days. Running from 8 until 18 March 2018, the show will present close to 180 exhibitors. This year the focus is on electric cars. Electrification of transport offers the hope of lower emissions, however there is a huge challenge that many are only starting to seriously […]
Geneva Motor Show 2018 – fewer fawning females
Car shows are well-known for their use of women as display decoration. This was highly evident at last year’s show. However a lot has happened in a year and the number of mini-skirted young women fawning over glistening cars has declined sharply. A quick scan of Instagram (#gims) on this year’s show reveals very few […]
Ticket cheats in Switzerland soon to be listed in a national register
Tickets cannot be bought on public transport in Switzerland. Passengers are required to have a ticket before commencing their journey. Those caught on public transport without one will soon have their names put into a national register. This will ensure progressively higher fines are issued to repeat offenders. The new database will be rolled out […]
Bad traffic – Geneva and Zurich rank among Europe’s worst
Excluding the highly congested cities of Russia, Geneva and Zurich were the fourth and fifth most traffic congested cities in Europe in 2017, according to the automotive data company INRIX, which publishes a traffic ranking of around 1,360 cities across the world. Istanbul (3rd), Paris (2nd) and London (1st) were the only european cities ahead […]
Swiss winter holiday traffic – map shows hot spots
The Swiss government has issued winter holiday season traffic predictions. European winter school holidays fall between 27 January and 11 March 2018. Over this period, particularly on Saturdays, which are the weekly change over day, heavy traffic is predicted in the usual hotspots. A number of passes are closed during winter, funneling more traffic into […]
Swiss Rail cuts train heating to save electricity
During January and February, Swiss Rail is experimenting with lower train temperatures in the hope of cutting its electricity bill. Dubbed the temperature reduction test project, the experiment will be run on the double-decker S-Bahn trains running from Zurich. During winter Swiss Rail heats carriages to 22 degrees. The project, run with Lucerne University, will alternate […]
Swiss rail tests its first automatic train
The Swiss train system is not throwing its engineers off the train (yet), but is experimenting with how to make their job simpler, while improving efficiency without compromising safety. Aircraft have long used a proven autopilot system that helps them fly efficiently, mostly hands-off, conserving fuel while minimizing travel time. Now CFF/BSS/FFS is testing similar […]
New Swiss highway sticker on sale from tomorrow
Next year’s Swiss highway sticker goes on sale tomorrow. Every year it changes colour. This year it’s orange. At the same time stiffer penalties are being introduced for fake ones. According to 20 Minutes, the government is putting in place new sanctions of up to 3 years in prison. The amount lost from various forms […]
Facebook posts that could still break Swiss law
Warning someone of a Swiss speed check via Facebook or other social network could still be illegal. People should still think twice before doing this. A warning is allowed under Swiss law if it is not public. But the law does not define public. A recent case in Saint Gallen demonstrates the lack of clarity. […]
Passing on the right – a grey area in Switzerland
The rules in Switzerland are clear. With one exception, anyone passing on the right is breaking the law. In practice, many drivers are confused. Article 35 of Switzerland’s federal road traffic states that drivers can only pass on the left. The only time passing on the right is permitted is when there are parallel queues of […]
