Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Failed attempt to airlift snow to the Swiss Alps; Zurich police accused of being heartless toward pedestrians, and other news in our roundup on Friday.
Attempts to airlift snow to mountain resorts deemed a failure
Faced, like many other mid-altitude ski areas in the Swiss Alps, with grassy and rocky slopes, and thousands of idle skiers, the area of Gstaad, Zweisimmen and Saanenmöser in canton Bern resorted to transporting snow by helicopters and dumping it on the pistes.
However, this special operation wasn’t as successful as resort authorities had hoped it would be, and the slopes still remain mostly snowless.
“The loading and unloading of snow was too complicated and the quantities that could be transported were too low,” according to Matthias In-Albon, director of Gstaad’s ski lifts.
READ MORE: 'Bike instead of skiing': Switzerland's snowless ski slopes forced to close
Zurich police heartless towards pedestrians
During the month of December, the residents of the Zurich district of Dübendorf discovered that some of the traffic lights lit up in the shape of a heart.
This action, carried out by the public works department, had elicited many positive comments from the local population during the holiday season.
However, having found out about the “heart lights,” the Zurich cantonal police said on Thursday that the heart-shaped stencils affixed to the lights did not comply with the ordinance on road signs, which stipulates that traffic lights intended for crossing the street must display a pedestrian symbol.
“I knew that we were entering a grey legal area with this move,” said Raymond König, the head of the Department of Public Works, adding that this move was well-intentioned, and aimed at “pleasing the population.”
“But if we have to remove the hearts, we will do it.”
It appears that Zurich officials are also tough on bird enthusiasts…
Pigeon feeding now a crime in Zurich
Anyone caught feeding pigeons on the canton’s territory will be slapped with a 200-franc fine, due to a new legislation which forbids this practice.
That is because Zurich now considers pigeons part of wild fauna.
However, don’t get rid of the stale bread yet — authorities say it is still legal to feed the ducks, squirrels, and hedgehogs.
These are the most popular cars in Switzerland
Tesla's Model Y was not only by far the best-selling electric car in Switzerland in 2022, it was also more popular than all petrol and diesel vehicles put together, according to Auto Schweiz motoring association.
A total of 4,928 units of the electric SUV, which costs between 55,000 and 71,000 francs, were newly registered last year.
Next come the VW Tiguan and the Skoda Octavia family station wagon, having sold 4,245 and 4,090 cars, respectively.
Audi QT (3,876), Tesla Model 3 (3,525), and Toyota Yaris (3,293) were also among the most popular.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Attempts to airlift snow to mountain resorts deemed a failure
Faced, like many other mid-altitude ski areas in the Swiss Alps, with grassy and rocky slopes, and thousands of idle skiers, the area of Gstaad, Zweisimmen and Saanenmöser in canton Bern resorted to transporting snow by helicopters and dumping it on the pistes.
However, this special operation wasn’t as successful as resort authorities had hoped it would be, and the slopes still remain mostly snowless.
“The loading and unloading of snow was too complicated and the quantities that could be transported were too low,” according to Matthias In-Albon, director of Gstaad’s ski lifts.
READ MORE: 'Bike instead of skiing': Switzerland's snowless ski slopes forced to close
Zurich police heartless towards pedestrians
During the month of December, the residents of the Zurich district of Dübendorf discovered that some of the traffic lights lit up in the shape of a heart.
This action, carried out by the public works department, had elicited many positive comments from the local population during the holiday season.
However, having found out about the “heart lights,” the Zurich cantonal police said on Thursday that the heart-shaped stencils affixed to the lights did not comply with the ordinance on road signs, which stipulates that traffic lights intended for crossing the street must display a pedestrian symbol.
“I knew that we were entering a grey legal area with this move,” said Raymond König, the head of the Department of Public Works, adding that this move was well-intentioned, and aimed at “pleasing the population.”
“But if we have to remove the hearts, we will do it.”
It appears that Zurich officials are also tough on bird enthusiasts…
Pigeon feeding now a crime in Zurich
Anyone caught feeding pigeons on the canton’s territory will be slapped with a 200-franc fine, due to a new legislation which forbids this practice.
That is because Zurich now considers pigeons part of wild fauna.
However, don’t get rid of the stale bread yet — authorities say it is still legal to feed the ducks, squirrels, and hedgehogs.
These are the most popular cars in Switzerland
Tesla's Model Y was not only by far the best-selling electric car in Switzerland in 2022, it was also more popular than all petrol and diesel vehicles put together, according to Auto Schweiz motoring association.
A total of 4,928 units of the electric SUV, which costs between 55,000 and 71,000 francs, were newly registered last year.
Next come the VW Tiguan and the Skoda Octavia family station wagon, having sold 4,245 and 4,090 cars, respectively.
Audi QT (3,876), Tesla Model 3 (3,525), and Toyota Yaris (3,293) were also among the most popular.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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