Geneva news roundup: A new tram line and locals fight to cut airport noise
Area residents oppose aircraft noise, a controversial tram line gets green-lighted, and other news from Switzerland's second-largest city.
Sleepless in Geneva: area residents want less nighttime jet noise
The Federal Department of Transport (DETEC) has set a new noise limit for Geneva's Cointrin airport.
The regulations allow three departures per week of long-haul flights between 10 pm and midnight, which are operated by the noisiest aircraft.
However, the aptly named group, The Regional Coordination for an Urban Airport Respectful of the Population and the Environment (CARPE), has filed an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court against the rule.
CARPE is claiming the new regulation will expose 29,000 people living in the airport’s vicinity on both Swiss and French side of border to excessive noise generated by about 11,000 planes that take off in that time frame each year.
READ MORE: SWISS airline switches to ‘air train’ service between Geneva and Zurich airport
New tram line to connect Geneva district with the United Nations
A narrow majority (51.54 percent) of Grand-Saconnex voters have approved on Sunday a plan for a new tram to link their commune with the Place des Nations, the hub of Geneva’s UN quarter.
Opponents of the new tram deplore the large scale of the project, which will jeopardise green spaces and century-old trees along the way.
Supporters, however, counter that the tram is of “cantonal and regional public utility.”
The cost of the project, to be completed in 2026, amounts to 193 million francs, with the federal government subsidising 40 percent of the cost.
Essential Geneva apps
Are you a new arrival to Geneva? Or someone who just needs to find their way around the city?
Find out what apps will help you navigate life here:
7 essential apps that make life in Geneva easier for foreign residents
Geneva’s public transport: not always on the right track
If you are a frequent user of Geneva’s transportation system (TPG), you probably noticed that from time to time buses miss their usual route and end up somewhere else.
On average, the TPG records one course error each day – 324 such cases have been recorded for 2022 so far.
This year, lines 1 and 25 are particularly "affected by errors, in connection with work carried out near the Jardin Botanique stop," according to TPG spokesperson, François Mutter.
Other such errors have been reported most frequently in Bel-Air, Coutance, Athénée and Chantepoulet.
Geneva launches a new economic watch tool
The Trade Observatory, the first project of its type in Switzerland, aims to facilitate the establishment and development of businesses in the canton by providing them with a range of demographic and economic data that will allow them to select the best location to open a shop.
Thanks to the collection of public data, the Trade Observatory maps all of Geneva businesses, making it possible to find the nearest competition, to know the purchasing power by district, and to monitor the evolution of consumption habits, according to the Department of the Economy and Employment.
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Sleepless in Geneva: area residents want less nighttime jet noise
The Federal Department of Transport (DETEC) has set a new noise limit for Geneva's Cointrin airport.
The regulations allow three departures per week of long-haul flights between 10 pm and midnight, which are operated by the noisiest aircraft.
However, the aptly named group, The Regional Coordination for an Urban Airport Respectful of the Population and the Environment (CARPE), has filed an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court against the rule.
CARPE is claiming the new regulation will expose 29,000 people living in the airport’s vicinity on both Swiss and French side of border to excessive noise generated by about 11,000 planes that take off in that time frame each year.
READ MORE: SWISS airline switches to ‘air train’ service between Geneva and Zurich airport
New tram line to connect Geneva district with the United Nations
A narrow majority (51.54 percent) of Grand-Saconnex voters have approved on Sunday a plan for a new tram to link their commune with the Place des Nations, the hub of Geneva’s UN quarter.
Opponents of the new tram deplore the large scale of the project, which will jeopardise green spaces and century-old trees along the way.
Supporters, however, counter that the tram is of “cantonal and regional public utility.”
The cost of the project, to be completed in 2026, amounts to 193 million francs, with the federal government subsidising 40 percent of the cost.
Essential Geneva apps
Are you a new arrival to Geneva? Or someone who just needs to find their way around the city?
Find out what apps will help you navigate life here:
7 essential apps that make life in Geneva easier for foreign residents
Geneva’s public transport: not always on the right track
If you are a frequent user of Geneva’s transportation system (TPG), you probably noticed that from time to time buses miss their usual route and end up somewhere else.
On average, the TPG records one course error each day – 324 such cases have been recorded for 2022 so far.
This year, lines 1 and 25 are particularly "affected by errors, in connection with work carried out near the Jardin Botanique stop," according to TPG spokesperson, François Mutter.
Other such errors have been reported most frequently in Bel-Air, Coutance, Athénée and Chantepoulet.
Geneva launches a new economic watch tool
The Trade Observatory, the first project of its type in Switzerland, aims to facilitate the establishment and development of businesses in the canton by providing them with a range of demographic and economic data that will allow them to select the best location to open a shop.
Thanks to the collection of public data, the Trade Observatory maps all of Geneva businesses, making it possible to find the nearest competition, to know the purchasing power by district, and to monitor the evolution of consumption habits, according to the Department of the Economy and Employment.
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