Uni Biozentrum Construction Calamity; No. 6 tram could expand to Lorrach; Canadian Highwire Act Spans Basel Rhein; Speedier E-bikes Bending The Rules

News For 15 May 2018

The University of Basel was expecting to move some of its facilities into a new BioZentrum building whose construction was supposed to be completed almost a year ago.  Unfortunately however, where the 73 meter tall building is supposed to stand remains a construction site to this day in the vicinity of the UniSpital.  In a confidential report revealed by the SRF news channel, it appears that the governments of Basel Stadt and Basel Land have become concerned about the extent of the delays and cost overruns.  Blame currently falls on the General Contractor that has been accused of underestimated the complexity of the project.  In turn, the GC has blamed electrical and fire protection subcontractors that needed to be replaced.  It is now expected that the building will be completed in late 2019, two years late, and 20 million francs over budget.

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The Lorrach city council wants to commission a study to clarify whether or not an extension of the No. 6 tram to Lorrach makes sense.  Other factors the study will address is whether that extension would be a competitor to the S-Bahn and how the cost-benefit ratio compares.  The study is defined as “open-ended” and will show possible route variants, the urban development potential and the expected costs. The study is expected to cost 100,000 euros, 90 percent of which will be paid by the German government.

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If you happened to be in the vicinity of the MittlereBrücke this past Saturday afternoon, you were one of 10,000 people that witnessed a tightrope walker cross the Rhein River.  25 meters above the river's surface, Laurence Tremblay-Vu a tight-rope walker from Canada crossed the 190 meter steel cable span, which was anchored at Schifflande on one side.  The performance was in conjunction with the International Circus Festival Young Stage Basel.  

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E-bike riders can easily make their vehicles faster than the allowed speeds, and so far, not much is being done to stop them, according to a story by the Tages Woche magazine.  Some e-bikes that are approved for 25 km/h can actually reach speeds of 40 km/h and other e-bikes, the ones with the yellow license plates, are approved for 45 km/h can go 60 to 70.  How? A quick Google search will reveal tuning kits and some dealers may install the speed kits for customers, which can be easily turned on and off.  That creates a problem for police. It is simply tough to catch bikers breaking the law. In the Basel region, police conduct mobile checks and any suspicious e-bike will be tested on a roll to its maximum speed. In Zurich, police conduct regular traffic checks with one to two e-bikes per month caught going too fast.  Tuned e-bikes are currently not an issue for the police in Basel-Stadt. The spokesman for the Justice and Security Department, Martin Schütz, says that "no abnormalities have been detected in this regard.”