Alarm System Test Set For Tomorrow; Warmest, Dryest, and Now...Coldest!; Zoo Parking Prices Rise; Radio Basilisk Forced To Move

News For 31 January 2017

Switzerland, generally known for its quiet, tranquil way of life will once again have its serenity interrupted by the annual public alarm sirens test tomorrow.  Scheduled for the first Wednesday of every February, the test is meant to make sure the systems are functioning properly and to raise awareness amongst residents of the purpose and meaning of the siren alarms.   Originally established to warn of bomb threats during World War II, the system lives on to warn people of impending disaster.  The tests will commence at 1:30 pm and conclude around 2:30.  In case you've been thinking this all sounds very antiquated, the government of Switzerland already has plans underway to establish a warning system using smartphone push-notifications and should be widely available next year. ********** If you've been tuning into our latest news stories, then you'll be familiar with the facts we've reported about the weather: 2016 was both the warmest and driest year recorded in Switzerland by MeteoSuisse, the federal meteorological service.  Well, the extremes of weather continue, with January 2017 setting a record for cold temperature of -3 degrees centigrade on average for the month.  Not since 1987 has there been a record of colder temperature.  There was even a stretch of 10 days where the temperature did not rise above 0.  You can, however, take cold-comfort in the fact that the coldest temperature recorded in Switzerland in 1987, was in the village of La Brévine where the thermometer read a bone-rattling -41.8 degrees. ********** Starting in 2017, parking fees at the Basel Zoological Garden's parking lot have gone up almost six fold.  Luckily, with the purchase of Zoo entry, you are still entitled to the old rate of one Swiss Franc per hour.  The fees were raised to address the growing use of the parking lot by commuters and visitors to the city center and those looking to drive to the Rialto Pool.  Free parking on Sundays in the lot is still available.  The decision to raise the fee are part of Basel's Grand Council initiatives to manage parking spaces and traffic congestion in the city, and encourage the use of public transportation.  Opposing the tariff rise, the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) criticized it as the act of an overzealous bureaucratic government.   *********** After 30 years at Marktgasse near Schifflande, our colleagues at Radio Basilisk have been forced to move from their studios.  Apparently, the nearby construction at Spiegelgasse of the new offices for the Office for Environment and Energy will be simply too intrusive to allow for the proper operation of a radio station.  Matthias Hagemann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Radio Basilisk said that its not as simple as installing sound insulation, because both the vibrations and dust developed at construction sites can interfere with the proper operation of studio equipment.  The station is promising to continue with an uninterrupted broadcast however, by moving their studios in April to the Tally-Weijl-Haus next to the MarktHalle.