Mass Fines for Rebellious Cyclists; Freight Train Takes a Tumble; Student Unrest in Baking Basel Classrooms

News for 5 September 2023

A cycling ban has been implemented on the street Rheinsprung in Grossbasel. The ban was a part of several new traffic control attempts from the Basel police, it was said to have been implemented for “safety reasons” as the street is “narrow and steep”. However, the ban was unsuccessful as Basel cyclists continued to bike up the dangerous street despite the newly placed signs emphasising the cycling ban. The rebellious cyclists led to the police taking things into their own hands, distributing 16 fines to those who continued to bike up the road. The mass implementation of fines has led to a significant decrease in the number of risk-taking cyclists; however, the Basel police have not eased up their control in that area.

**********

This past Monday, two carriages from an SBB Cargo train took a tumble as they derailed in the Basel freight train station. The noise of the carriages crashing off the rails caused unrest and concern in the Gundeli community. Fortunately, Fabienne Wittwe, an SBB spokeswoman, has stated that there were “no injuries”, no escaped dangerous goods, and no impact on passenger travel. There was, however, damage to the fallen carriages and train infrastructure. The cause of the derailment is still unknown and the situation is being investigated further.

**********

Now that the period of extreme isolated storms has passed, the hot temperatures are back, and complaints from students are expected to resurface once again. During the first heat wave, a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius was recorded in a Basel classroom, and only two of the 38 schools that recorded temperatures experienced below 30 degrees in the afternoon. The high temperatures make it impossible for students to learn effectively. The Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG (Federal Office of Public Health) has made suggestions to schools on how to combat the heat such as having lessons in the school cellar or a forest. These poor and half-hearted attempts at advice have been met by a student-led petition for improvements in classroom conditions during summer – which has so far been signed by over 3,000 students.