Vaud police say they have lifted 66 licenses for speeding in roadworks area near Lausanne; the lower speed limit also keeps traffic moving more smoothly they say
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Canton Vaud police say they have taken away 66 drivers licenses, 11 a week, since 19 May on the stretch of A9 autoroute between Lausanne and Villeneuve, for speeding.
The speed limit of 80kph is well marked in several areas to protect workers and there are signs saying the section is checked by radar, plus a sign at each end notes how many licenses have been lifted for not obeying the lower than usual limits.
The worst offender was going 140kph, the 9th of June.
In addition, police have handed out 2,591 speeding tickets, out of more than 97,000 cars on the road: 2.65 percent of drivers are speeding in the area.
The lower speed limits have been set to protect road workers.
Police caution that lower speed limits will also be in effect on the Lausanne ring road from 15 July to 15 October, when road works are underway there.
The work on the A9 continues until November; details on the Swiss autoroutes web site.
Mir submersibles, made in Russia, have been used for numerous scientific missions in the Arctic and Lake Baikal. They were also used to film the hulk of the Titanic for James Cameron's film about the sinking of the ship. They will be used in Lake Geneva to help scientists better understand western Europe's largest lake (source: EPFL).
Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Russian Mir submersibles will soon populate the depths of Lake Geneva, the EPFL, the Swiss federal polytechnic institute in Lausanne announced Tuesday 1 March. Fifteen teams from five countries will carry out field research using the submersibles, from June 2011 to August, in a project dubbed elemo.
Geology, biology (especially micro-pollutants and bacteriology) and physics projects will be undertaken to better understand how human activity affects the lake.
The submersibles will operate in three main areas:
- Vidy, near Lausanne, a heavily-populated area where the impact of micro-pollutants can be studied
- mid-lake directly offshore from Lausanne, going as deep as 309 metres, a depth at which little is known about the lake
- Villeneuve, where glacial deposits and sediment have created 30-metre high canyons in the lake: a spectacular, unstable part of the lake that begs exploration.
Lake Geneva, looking from Saint Prex to Lausanne: windy on the surface and largely unknown at its depths (click on image to view larger)
International scientists will have access to the submersibles for research purposes, thanks to support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals in Saint Prex, canton Vaud, the Russian Federation’s Honorary Consulate in Lausanne and the EPFL. Ferring is financing most of the project.
“One-and-a-half million people live near Lake Geneva. Fifty percent of this population gets its daily drinking water from the lake. Yet there is still much to learn about the complex workings of this heavily human-impacted ecosystem,” the EPFL notes in its press release.
“The researchers will gain easy access to the deepest parts of the lake, at depths of over 300 meters, where they will be able to study how pollutants accumulate, and even perform field experiments. The lake consists of layers of water that are permeable to differing degrees. By using the submersibles to carry out a detailed study of the boundaries between these layers, the researchers will be able to better understand how the water circulates. Over time, these models will be of the utmost importance for measuring the local and overall impact of human activity on Lake Geneva.”
The 15 teams include scientists from several institutions: the EPFL, the Universities of Geneva, Neuchatel, Haute-Savoie and Newcastle, Eawag (the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and
Technology), Inra (the National Agronomic Research Institute) in Toulouse, the CNRS (French National Centre for Research), the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Anatoly Sagalevitch, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the expedition leader for many missions on board the Mir submersibles, notably in the Arctic and Lake Baikal, will join the project for the summer of 2011, with his team.
The 18.6 tons deep-diving vehicles are 7.8 metres long and 3.6m wide. They can reach depths of over 6,000 metres and move at a speed of 9 kph horizontally, 40 kph vertically.
Three lanes: now two again, for a month, on the A1 near Morges-Lausanne
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Prepare for summer traffic jams: the A1 autoroute between Morges Ouest (west) and Lausanne is about to undergo surgery that will last until 25 June. The facelift reduces traffic to two lanes in each direction fom 06:00-20:00 and one lane each way during the night.
The A1 has operated far more smoothly since the start of 2010 when months of roadworks were completed, giving it three lanes in each direction during rush hour. The combination of heavy equipment and a colder than usual winter damaged the surface of the existing lanes, however, and these now need to be removed and the roads re-covered. The highway department notes that even when it appears that there are no workers the lanes are closed for a good reason, as it can take several days for the surface to harden fully.
The new roadworks will add to the headaches of travellers between Morges and Villeneuve, given the heavy roadworks scheduled along the A9 between Lausanne and Villeneuve. Long stretches in each direction have been reduced to a single lane.
Canadian company Bombardier CHF1.86 billion train deal creates Vaud jobs, will ease passenger crunch
New CFF InterCity trains, scheduled for 2013 Geneva-Zurich
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The good news is that train travel in Switzerland is about to get better, but the bad news is that it won’t happen fast enough to suit many impatient Swiss, who travel on average 2,422 km a year by train, making them the world leaders in train use.
The CFF Swiss rail company has just bought 59 new trains with the first rollout in 2013. The purchase of 36,000 new train seats is just a start: in the next 20 years the CFF will need to replace 120,000 seats and add an additional 60,000 because of growing passenger demand and new lines.
Bombardier, a Canadian company, fought off Siemens and Stadler Rail to get a CHF1.9 billion contract with the CFF to supply 59 new double-decker trains. The contract could lead to the purchase at a later date of an additional 100 trains, for a total package worth close to CHF6b.
Passengers to see tangible benefits
For travelers, the new cars will offer a number of advantages: electric plugs and Internet for all passengers, the cars at the front and back of the train will have extra doors, to speed up passsenger movement, first and second class will be completely separated, not the case with at least one of the other offers, according to Le Temps.
The trains will carry 1,300 instead of the 1,100 currently handled by InterCity trains. The extra 200 passengers will be accommodated even with more comfortable stairs which will have a different shape to those in today’s trains, but the seats will have the same space and distance as in the IC2000 trains currently running.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A woman was killed when several cars hit her on the A9 autoroute Wednesday 10 March, shortly after midnight, near Villeneuve in the direction of Lausanne. Police are asking witnesses to phone them: +41 21 644 44 44.
The woman had a very high alcohol level of 2.40/1,000 when she was taken as a victim to the hospital in Montreux following a domestic incident. Police had been called at 21:30 on the emergency number 117 to an apartment block in Vevey, where a man and woman were fighting; she had slight injuries to one hand and was treated at the Montreux hospital, then released.
Title: New Year’s Eve lake cruises
Location: Lake Geneva
Link out: Click here
Description: New Year’s Eve lake cruises from Vevey, Montreux, Le Bouveret, Villeneuve (haut lac), Lausanne, and Geneva with on-board dinner and party. The haut lac cruises will see the Vevey fireworks display.
Adults CHF199, children 10-16 years, CHF99, children 6-9 CHF49, under 6 free. Cruise includes meal, wine, water, tea, coffee and midnight champagne.
Reservations absolutely recommended: Infoline +41 (0)848 811 848 – www.cgn.ch
Check individual ports for exact sailing times. Enjoy! Happy New Year!
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2009-12-31
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Ongoing roadworks on the A9 between Vennes and Villeneuve will slow down traffic between 9:00 and 16:00 every day, but two lanes will be open during rush hours. The Fedro, Federal Roads Office, has a site dedicated to these roadworks. Roadworks between Morges and Ecublens to build a third lane in the emergency lane are also ongoing.
Intercity trains between Olten and Basel (Ger) will not run some nights after 21:30 from 31 August to 30 October, the CFF announced 26 August, due to a refurbishment of the tracks. Alternatives are the Interregional trains and the S-3 light rail train. And for commuters in Lausanne the stretch between Lausanne and La Conversion will be shut down completely from 4 September at 20:30 to 7 September at 05:30, says the CFF.
Title: Flea market in Villeneuve
Location: Villeneuve, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Twice a month professionals and individuals alike are invited to empty their “caves” and sell in the traditional Villeneuve flea market. Entrance is free but vendors have to pay to sell.
Start Date: 11 Jul 2009
End Date: 28 Nov 2009
© Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi 2009
Villeneuve, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The 90-foot catamaran that Alinghi has spent 100,000 manhours building for the next America’s Cup race was unveiled in Villeneuve 4 July. The boat now goes through a de-bugging process before it will be launched by helicopter into Lake Geneva this week for its first time out on the water. Alinghi, as the winner in July 2007 of the last race, one of the sailing world’s top events, is the Defender of the America’s Cup. This gives it the right to set the rules, including those for the boat type, for the next race, and the new boat’s design has been a tightly-guarded secret.
The race, says Alinghi, is scheduled for February 2010, but a series of court battles Read more…
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The roadworks announced several weeks ago for the stretch of A9 autoroute between Vennes, above Lausanne, and Villeneuve to the east of the city, begin Monday 6 July. Traffic will be diverted to makeshift lanes for several months, slowing traffic to 100 kph for much of the stretch. Details, A9 autoroute, Fre
There was less traffic back when this Geneva license plate was issued
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Drivers on the A9 stretch between Lausanne-Vennes and Villeneuve, the main route into the Valais, can expect delays for four months starting 15 June as urgent repairs are made to joints in several places. The road will be reduced to one lane in each direction, starting on the lake side of the road in June and on the other side in August. Two lanes but with slower speeds will be open during peak traffic hours. This stretch of autoroute has long been scheduled for major renovation from 2014-2017 due to general deterioration, and in November 2008 it was briefly closed for emergency repairs.
The new roadworks will further increase travel time in the Lausanne region, with speed limits reduced to 80kph between Morges and Ecublens due to major construction from May to December 2009.
Title: Valentine’s cruises on Lake Geneva
Location: Lake Geneva region
Link out: Click here
Description: Dinner, drinks and a cruise for two for around CHF250. Cruises depart from Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey and Villeneuve.
Date: 14 Feb 2009
