Traffic Free Zone Expansion Continues Into 2016; 2016 Basel Fasnacht Theme Unveiled; New Chat App Invades Swiss Campuses; Markthalle Food Court Plans for Success

News For 5 January 2016

  Basel continues to expand its program of purging the inner city of vehicular traffic.  The Spalenberg neighborhood will participate in a pilot project where 5 traffic bollards have been installed.  In case you've never heard of them, you've certainly seen bollards before: they're the retractable metal poles that sink into the ground when an authorized vehicle can pass the gate they create.  In the case of Basel, the 60 cm high bollards are meant to ensure that only residents of the protected zone can pass them by having a code which sinks them to allow passage.  The bollards will be automatically retracted for civil service vehicles like fire engines and ambulances, and can also be remotely deactivated from a central police station if necessary.  Based on the success of this one year pilot project, the city plans to install 10-15 more of the barriers throughout the city in the future. ******************************* In case you're feeling a little deflated after the holidays and the start of a new year, there's already something to look forward to.  The Fasnacht 2016 festivities are less than four weeks away, and the committee which organizes the events has already chosen a theme and had the festival badges or Blaggettes minted.  This year's theme will lament the demise of the small shopkeep in Basel and the badges will portray the typical Waggis shuttering a store front.  The design by Guido Happle, was chosen from over 61 entries, 46 by professional artists.  Mr. Happle is a graphic designer, illustrator, drummer and has been involved with the art displayed on many of Fasnacht's lanterns in previous years.  Mr. Happle pointed out that the theme is not meant to be completely downbeat. He said they were also an homage to the tradition of closing stores and not working during the holiday.   

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Forget WhatsApp and Snapchat, the new chat app that's all the rage on Swiss campuses and in Basel in particular is Yodel.  The distinguishing characteristic of this app is that it allows you to communicate anonymously with other users within a 10 kilometer radius.  Users do not have aliases or handles to use the app or post messages.  The new app has already been downloaded almost a million times and seems to be especially popular among students.  The fact that messages are only seen by other users within a close proximity gives them a feeling of community according to Alexander Linevich, the product manager of the App.  Amongst Basel's students, the favorite subjects on the App in the post holiday season seems to be shared lamenting over the upcoming examination period and the chronic lack of space at the Uni Library to study.  

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Two years ago, a new company was brought in to develop the commercial use of the Markthalle in downtown Basel near the SBB railway station.  Since then, it has become a center for culinary arts featuring over 30 food stalls, a grocer and a bar and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.  Offering a variety from Vietnamese buns to Fish & Chips, the food court has come to boast over 800 visitors each day at lunchtime and another 200-400 every evening between Thursday and Saturday.  Sensing the demand and the momentum of success, Alexandra Dill, spokeswoman for the operating company Markthallen AG, says the next goal for the space is to have 1500 guests per day.  To achieve that, more food stall offerings are planned as well as expanded evening hours.  In addition, the operators plan to improve the evening cultural offerings to entice those out on the town to stop in, and patronize the food stalls.  Longer term, the operators face an end to their three year lease at the end of 2017 at which time they'll have to evaluate the economic viability of continuing while renegotiating the lease with Credit Suisse, the owner of the Markthalle building.