GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Flights in and out of Brussels are being disrupted Monday by a 24-hour strike by Belgium’s three main unions. The 30 January labour action comes at the same time as the Eurozone leaders’ summit to discuss the sovereign debt crisis. The unions’ protest against higher taxes and an austerity programme is causing havoc with air, rail and road traffic.
Geneva flights are so far operating mostly on schedule, but check your airline to confirm, the two airports caution.
public transport, Geneva
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss public transport systems do more than simply carry more people for less fuel: they also get relatively high ecology marks for their overall impact on the environment.
A study ordered by the federal government, published in German 9 September, shows that while public transport is far ahead of road traffic at the moment in terms of pollution impact, much more needs to be done to ensure it stays well ahead because of the rapid rate of growth predicted for public transport, while cars are seeing improvements.
Public transport systems do well in terms of energy consumption, CO2 and atmospheric pollution but their good marks are lowered slightly by the increase in their traffic volume, higher speeds and their use of tunnels. The noise from trains, despite significant progress in recent years to reduce this, remains a problem.
The study, which also projected the impact of public transport over the next 20 years, has resulted in a decision by the Federal Council to redouble efforts to reduce noise, carbon emissions and to put a greater emphasis on susbtainable development where public transport is concerned.
Cars on trains, north-south Kandersteg-Loetschental link
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Snow began falling steadily down to 500 metres in the central Alpine areas in Switzerland, Monday evening 28 December, adding to travelers’ slowdowns that started over the weekend. Saturday was the annual heavy car traffic day in Swiss resort areas, with day skiers joining people who were starting or ending weekly rentals during the highest period of the year, Christmas to New Year’s.
Lines of cars several kilometres long formed Saturday late in the afternoon, coming down from Swiss ski resorts in canton Bern, mixing with north-south European traffic. The north-south piggyback (cars on trains) shortcut between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, a 15-minute tunnel trip through the Alps, has been moving several trains an hour filled with cars, since Christmas. The wait on Saturday was about 20 minutes, with the system working efficiently.
Sites with current traffic data: TCS automobile club, maps (Fre), TSR/swisstxt map and Swiss federal site for truck drivers
Link: Goppenstein train for cars and MeteoSwiss weather forecast for Switzerland
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Blue skies and sunshine to some cloudiness expected Sunday 4 January should keep Swiss roads reasonably clear despite heavy traffic as many travelers return from their holidays.
