Motorway accident paralysed the whole of Basel for several hours
An accident between a car and a tanker carrying methanol on the A2 motorway brought traffic in the entire region to a standstill on Wednesday.Drivers sat for more than three hours in traffic jams which sprung up across the entire region in the afternoon and evening following the accident near Schweizerhalle at 12.30pm. The tanker, loaded with flammable methanol, overturned. The 61-year-old driver suffered severe injuries and had to be brought to the hospital by a rescue helicopter. His condition is no longer believed to be life-threatening, Adrian Gaugler, spokesperson for Baselland cantonal police, told barfi.ch. According to the police, the presence of 24,000 litres of methanol meant there was a serious risk of explosion, which prompted them to close the A2 in both directions. While the driver’s cabin burnt out at the side of the motorway, specialist recovery teams were able to put the trailer back onto its wheels by the evening, which ensured that only a “small amount” of methanol leaked.
Traffic across the city collapsed due to closure of the motorway
The closure of the motorway brought the traffic in the entire region to a standstill. The police were working to capacity dealing with the traffic chaos: “We diverted traffic at important points such as traffic lights and crossroads, but the traffic was so heavy that there was at times no space for diversions,” Mr Gaugler said. A vicious circle: Cars filled the streets, unable to move forward or turn back. They sometimes stopped on tram tracks, which also caused delays for public transport. “All traffic which normally uses the motorway tried to find another way through town. Since our vehicles were circulating in and around town, they were also affected by the traffic jam,” Benjamin Schmid, spokesperson for the Basel public transport company BVB, said. There were delays and diversions across the entire network, with a blockage at the Heiliggeistkirche bringing tram lines 15 and 16 to a standstill. "Especially at the start of the rush hour the situation peaked, as expected,” he said.
No improvement, despite “constant communication with police and passengers”
Throughout the confusion the BVB spokesman said they were in “constant contact with the police”. "The BVB control centre is directly connected to the control centre of the Basel police,” he said. “The consequences of the accident were made clear very quickly so we informed the passengers on all available channels about the expected obstacles and delays from early afternoon onwards.” Despite the many information announcements, the situation could not be improved. Basel was helpless.
On Wednesday evening, the region had to admit that when a main route is unavailable during rush hour it affects everybody and there is not much you could do about it. “The only thing that would help in a situation where all roads are blocked would be flying vehicles. But we are not that far (yet),” said Mr Schmid. Asked whether the city could better prepare for such emergencies in the future, Martin Schütz, media spokesperson for Basel-Stadt police, said: “Of course the cantonal police and its partner organisations are examining improvements but there are also factors which are given and cannot be planned.” After this tragic story there is only hope that the severely injured lorry driver can soon be discharged from hospital. He is the one who has really been hurt in the accident. For the rest of us it only meant shattered nerves and arriving home later than usual.
Noble club and prime gastronomy from Zurich: This is how the cinema Plaza will be transformed for provincial Baslers
The Plaza Cinema in Basel is history. However, Barfi.ch knows the future of the building despite the scaremongering - and this future is bright. Following the surprising closure of the Plaza, a traditional cinema, progress on what will replace it is gathering pace. Just after its closure was publicly announced, the conversion commandos appeared. A few days later, a vague announcement was made about how the premises will be used in the future. At the building inspector’s office, a request for planning permission - which contains concrete details - is open to the public, for a short time. For sure: It will be laid on thick.
The Zurichers are not new here and they don’t waste any time
The cinema auditorium will be renovated and turned into a restaurant, which will be run by the in-pub, Lilly Jo, in Zurich. The restaurant, in Zürich-West culture park, belongs to the gastronomy group ZFV from Zurich which employs 2500 staff and runs 163 restaurants, hotels, canteens, catering operations, and bakeries across Switzerland. A heavy-weight company, with a turnover of 246 million Swiss Francs. However, the former cinema is not the first share of Basel for the company. It already runs twelve canteens and staff restaurants, including the Novartis staff restaurant in St Johann and Liestal gymnasium canteen. On 1st October 2018, ZFV will take over the traditional Hotel Merian. But there is nothing further the moment on this. Despite the mystery-mongering, ZFV confirmed the plans to barfi.ch without hesitation.
Tried-and-tested concept with a homage to the cinema
The company wants to keep to the concept of Lilly Jo which focuses on seasonal and local food, but the place should also do justice to the traditional cinema which has an impact on the development concept, according to ZFV. The focus on local products would spread hope for lucrative commissions for Basel delivery firms. There have been certain contacts made with businesses including the bakery Kult, but there is no further information available. The opening is planned for the autumn.
The club wants to be one thing: noble
There is a not-so-modest concept planned for a nightclub in the basement: "The Plaza“, as the project is named, is directed at an audience with a "flair for a noble atmosphere” and locates itself in the “premium segment” including a “red carpet/cord” and an “exclusive member-system”, as it is literally said in the building request. The word “high-grade” can be found in every sentence. The plans reveal a luscious seating and bar concept. Music will play a minor role, however generally longer opening hours for 24 hours were requested, the noise concept follows the night-life standard of 100 decibel. The club will be open from Thursday to Saturday, the auditorium with a capacity of 450 guests can be rented out for private and business events.
The operator itself is still a phantom
The announced operator for this ambitious prestige project is still confusing. The “Jade” club in Zurich is mentioned as a model for the concept. The club however denies having anything to do with the project. The planning for the conversion was carried out by the gastronomy consulting company “desillusion & co” based in Zurich and Basel. In their portfolio not just Lilly Jo can be found but also the Jade Club. “Desillusion & co” however refused to confirm anything, and all other participants such as the building owner, UBS, remain silent. A time schedule for the mammoth project is also missing, which wouldn’t disturb anyone. Does Basel really wait for something like this?