Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
From future cycle lanes to new night buses, here's a roundup of the news in Switzerland on Thursday.
Experts advise against Swiss animal welfare donations
According to a recent study by by Swissfundraising and Zewo on Switzerland’s donation behaviour, the main areas the Swiss population donates to have remained the same for years. This includes people with disabilities, nature, environmental and animal protection, as well as children and young people.
However, the Zewo certification body has now said it is advising the Swiss population to refrain from donating money to Swiss animal welfare organisation Schweizer Tierschutz (STS) due to a lack of transparency and internal control.
Despite the public’s many calls for the organisation to apply to be checked for compliance with the Zewo standards and receive the Zewo seal of quality, STS has failed to do so.
“Based on the documents available to it and the publicly available documents, Zewo determines that the STS deviates from the Zewo standards in various points. There are also serious indications that other Zewo standards are probably not being met,” Zewo said.
READ MORE: How charitable is the Swiss population?
Zurich mulls bicycle lanes amid safety concerns
The Zurich municipal council has approved an urgent postulate from the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland to consider creating cycle lanes that are separated from the main road through structural measures. This, it said, would made cyclists feel safer on Zurich’s busy roads.
The Council Left prevailed with 74 votes to 40 from the FDP.The Liberals, Centre/Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland and the Swiss People's Party. Opponents, however, argued that a lack of space for separate cycle paths and the cost to create them make this a bad idea.
The city is currently revising its previous bicycle standards from 2016, which decide how the Zurich civil engineering department implements the bicycle infrastructure. According to city councillor Simone Brander (Social Democratic Party of Switzerland), the city will consider the demand and the decision whether to implement it or not will be made this year.
Luxury night bus to operate Zurich-Barcelona route from 2024
Good news for those hoping to travel across Europe from Switzerland more sustainably next year.
Zurich-based Twiliner will offer a network of luxury night bus lines through Europe from 2024 in a bid to offer an attractive alternative to air travel.
The first line will operate from early 2024 between Zurich and Barcelona. By 2026, the company plans to operate a total of 25 daily lines to other European destinations, such as Copenhagen, Paris, London and Berlin.
Though its buses, which will be operated with Swiss-produced biodiesel, will have a limited number of seats – 21 to be exact - they will offer plenty of space for sleeping thanks to the fold-out seats.
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Experts advise against Swiss animal welfare donations
According to a recent study by by Swissfundraising and Zewo on Switzerland’s donation behaviour, the main areas the Swiss population donates to have remained the same for years. This includes people with disabilities, nature, environmental and animal protection, as well as children and young people.
However, the Zewo certification body has now said it is advising the Swiss population to refrain from donating money to Swiss animal welfare organisation Schweizer Tierschutz (STS) due to a lack of transparency and internal control.
Despite the public’s many calls for the organisation to apply to be checked for compliance with the Zewo standards and receive the Zewo seal of quality, STS has failed to do so.
“Based on the documents available to it and the publicly available documents, Zewo determines that the STS deviates from the Zewo standards in various points. There are also serious indications that other Zewo standards are probably not being met,” Zewo said.
READ MORE: How charitable is the Swiss population?
Zurich mulls bicycle lanes amid safety concerns
The Zurich municipal council has approved an urgent postulate from the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland to consider creating cycle lanes that are separated from the main road through structural measures. This, it said, would made cyclists feel safer on Zurich’s busy roads.
The Council Left prevailed with 74 votes to 40 from the FDP.The Liberals, Centre/Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland and the Swiss People's Party. Opponents, however, argued that a lack of space for separate cycle paths and the cost to create them make this a bad idea.
The city is currently revising its previous bicycle standards from 2016, which decide how the Zurich civil engineering department implements the bicycle infrastructure. According to city councillor Simone Brander (Social Democratic Party of Switzerland), the city will consider the demand and the decision whether to implement it or not will be made this year.
Luxury night bus to operate Zurich-Barcelona route from 2024
Good news for those hoping to travel across Europe from Switzerland more sustainably next year.
Zurich-based Twiliner will offer a network of luxury night bus lines through Europe from 2024 in a bid to offer an attractive alternative to air travel.
The first line will operate from early 2024 between Zurich and Barcelona. By 2026, the company plans to operate a total of 25 daily lines to other European destinations, such as Copenhagen, Paris, London and Berlin.
Though its buses, which will be operated with Swiss-produced biodiesel, will have a limited number of seats – 21 to be exact - they will offer plenty of space for sleeping thanks to the fold-out seats.
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