«City Hub» for cargo bikes to launch this spring
Local businesses in Basel are showing a great interest in cargo bikes. As part of the «Work By Bike» project by the Pro Innerstadt BaselAssociation and the Basel Office for Mobility, business owners can test out cargo bikes for the duration of one year. To meet the increasing demand, the city is putting on 15 instead of just ten cargo bikes for this purpose.
Since the start of this year, for a fee of 800 Swiss francs, local business owners have been able to test out a cargo bike as a transportation vehicle for a year. The general interest has been high: Due to the number of applications, 15 instead of merely ten cargo bikes can now be rented. A total of 17 businesses in total were signed up for the bikes, among them various restaurants and florists, one carpenter, and a photographer. Four of the 17 businesses share one bike. The applications of twelve other business owners could not be taken into consideration.
Last week, the participating companies could pick their bike of choice in a launch event for the project. Pro Innerstadt Basel and the Office for Mobility will now order the desired bikes – and they should be ready for business by the end of April. Following the end of the testing phase, business owners can buy their rented bike at a special price.
The city logistics become even more dynamic thanks to another project: This spring, the «City Hub Basel» will commence operations. It is a site for handling cargo on the Güterbahnhof Wolf and offers logistics companies the opportunity to separate out their shipments on the outskirts of the city. These shipments can then be transported to their final destinations with appropriate transportation such as bikes, cargo bikes, or electronic cars.
Only 17 citizens voted in Bettingen during last public vote
The municipality of Bettingen can count on its citizens for votes. However, even with a high general turnout for the recent «No-Billag» vote, only 17 people found their way to the polling station in Bettingen.
Despite all the turmoil surrounding «No-Billag» and the discussions about who actually wants to watch Swiss TV shows like «Mini Beiz, dini Beiz», the community of Bettingen remained quiet during the last voting weekend. On the request of barfi.ch, Hanspeter Schlup from Bettingen stated: «We have our ‘core audience’ at the polling station.» They are neither more women than men nor more young people than elderly citizens, he said.
All in all, only 17 citizens showed up for the recent vote in Bettingen. At the vote last September, there were even less: Only nine people cast their vote. When asked why the polling station still needs three people overseeing the process, Mr Schlup reminds us of the local council’s decision to open a polling station in Bettingen. The municipality will not keep its polling station closed or just send its citizens to Riehen for a vote. It is also necessary by law that three people need to be present at the polling station to avoid electoral fraud.
Three polling stations left in Basel
Marco Greiner from the state chancellery of Basel’s town hall stated on request by barfi.ch: «According to the law, it is up to the municipalities themselves to decide whether they want to have a polling station or not. We currently do not know of any efforts that aim to change the current situation.» Thus, there is no debate about the possibility that the 1,200 citizens of Bettingen could also vote in the neighbouring municipality of Riehen. Bettingen wants to keep its core audience.
In Basel, there are three polling stations left. If you want to hand in your vote personally rather than sending it by post, you have to go to the town hall, to the Bahnhof SBB, or to the Clara police station. For the «No-Billag» vote one-and-a-half weeks ago, more than 1,000 citizens voted at Basel’s town hall and at the SBB, while 558 voters handed in their voting card at the Clara police station. In the town hall of Riehen, 262 people voted. Certainly, they would have had the space for 17 more.
Matthias Hubeli becomes director of Swiss Wrestling Festival Pratteln
The presidential committee of the «OK Baselbiet’22» has elected 41-year-old Matthias Hubeli from Therwil as director of the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival 2022 in Pratteln.
Shortly after Pratteln was chosen as the site for the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF) for 2022, the presidential committee, headed by Baselland MP Thomas Weber, made an important decision by electing Matthias Hubeli as director of the planned festival. This position forms the professional centre of organising «Baselbiet’22». The main tasks of the festival director are the overall coordination of all business associated with ESAF 2022, adhering to the specification sheet of the Federal Swiss Wrestling Association for ESAF 2022, as well as management of the directorial office and the organisation committee secretariat.
The 41-year-old is currently head of the central police station of Liestal and is deputy manager of «Sicherheitsabteilung Ost» within the Baseland police.
Organisational talent
MP Thomas Weber, organisation committee president for ESAF 2022, is looking forward to working together with Matthias Hubeli. «Matthias Hubeli has already shown his organisational talent as committee president of the ‘Landfest’17’, of the 2017 Swiss Wrestling Festival of Northwestern Switzerland, and as a project group member of ESAF 2022. He is going to coordinate ESAF 2022 brilliantly,» Mr Weber said.
Matthias Hubeli is going to start his new position as director of «Baselbiet’22» on 3 April. He will be supported part-time by Rolf Gasser, head of the Federal Swiss Wrestling Association office. Mr Gasser is going to provide valuable assistance thanks to his considerable experience.