The Floodplain Park on River Wiese - impossible Toll-free Road

Content
1. The first planning and the state treaty of 1977 - the sliding mountain "Slide" ("Schlipf") - water protection area

2. The facts: The duty-free road between Weil am Rhein and Lörrach is highly risky

3. The Floodplain Park on the River Wiese - the resistance organization RoZ - the landscape ensemble

4. Germany builds the access roads - the Swiss government gives in in 2004

5. 2005: Basel Town offers financing of a tunnel solution to Freiburg i.Br. - this offer is not communicated to Berlin

6. 2006: The blind Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland - the population votes yes to the protection of the river Wiese in 2006 - the Sliding Slope (Schlipf) and the water protection area remain the same

7. News - Now, the Toll-free Road is built - and what happens? It's a CRIME!

1. The first planning and the state treaty of 1977 - the sliding mountain "Slide" ("Schlipf") - water protection area

Since the 19th century, the neighboring municipalities of Weil am Rhein and Lörrach have been interested in a duty-free road along the river Wiese through the canton of Basel Town near Riehen. The controversial project was launched in 1977 in a state treaty with Germany, has been amended several times since then, but remains very controversial and tectonically absolutely dangerous due to impossible tectonic events on the "Slide" ("Schlipf") part of the Tüllingen Mountain (Tüllinger Hügel) with a "sliding slope" ("Schlipfhang"). In addition, the construction area is located on the edge of a water protection area, where no construction activity is actually permitted.

2. The facts: The duty-free road between Weil am Rhein and Lörrach is highly risky

The geological facts

the route of the toll-free road is located on the edge of a water protection area
it lies on the edge of a sliding slope
it lies next to a river and crosses it
the engineers believe that they can lower the groundwater level for the duration of the construction site
the engineers believe that the groundwater will not be affected by the construction site, although it meets the drinking water catchment zone
the engineers believe that they can stabilize the sliding slope with 60m long screws by screwing the screws into the sediments.

The German side is creating new arguments for the road

the German side has built the access roads from both sides
the German side has already let the industry on the Lörrach side take up position along the built access road, which means that companies there have been speculatively waiting for the opening of this road for years
the German side has been promising the people in Tüllingen, who suffer from through traffic, relief by the toll-free road for years
the German side rejects any solution for Tüllingen alone or a tunnel solution through the mountain [as the railway has] or compensation in the form of more public transport.

The facts for the quality of living

the locations of Weil am Rhein and Lörrach have so far had an excellent quality of living on the river Wiese
this quality of life on the river Wiese will be totally destroyed by the completion of the toll-free road with approx. 20,000 car movements per day, including 40-ton trucks
an important local recreation area in the region would be lost, including an international bicycle path
only the quality of living for Tüllingen would increase, and the sales of the speculatively located industries.

The facts for the animal and plant world

Lörrach's government believes that it wants to renaturalize the Wiese River after the construction of the toll-free road, although renaturation with over 20,000 vehicles per day, including 40-ton trucks, along the Wiese River then actually no longer makes sense, because hardly any birds can settle with such noise
In February 2006, the voters of Basel Town voted by more than 55% in a referendum that the entire bank of the river Wiese should be placed under protection and that an open route of the toll-free road should be absolutely dispensed with
The nature conservation groups (RoZ et al.) believe that the floodplain-like bank on the river Wiese is the last floodplain-like area for the canton of Basel Town with birds that only occur there for the canton, such as the kingfisher, and that this last floodplain-like area will be destroyed by the completion of the toll-free road.

The legal facts

The state treaty on the toll-free road will also be complied with if new negotiations are held
The tectonic risks are not taken into account by the courts
Thus, the risks for drinking water and for the people in the region are not taken into account
The interests of the animal world are not taken into account
The interests of the inhabitants of the region, who need this recreational oasis on the river Wiese as a balance, are not taken into account
The political parties involved are not forced to find another solution, although the Swiss government has signed Dublin and Schengen and some of the customs booths are no longer manned
To this day (March 2006) not all the land that is necessary for the planned alignment of the toll-free road between Weil and Lörrach has been expropriated
The start of construction from February 2006 is therefore actually completely illegal, or in the end the fear of the head of the building department of Basel Town may be fulfilled that the bridge over the river Wiese is only "there", as there are many such "bridges just standing there" in Germany.

Conclusions

It is nonsense to build a road in the dangerous tectonic situation where areas are missing and which also destroys a local recreation area.

In the end, the construction site, which will probably remain without closure, costs more than a normal tunnel through the mountain would have cost.

This will be a big coup d'état, the toll-free road between Weil and Lörrach with this route.

3. The Floodplain Park on the River Wiese - the resistance organization RoZ - the landscape ensemble

In addition, it is precisely in this part on the banks of the Wiese River that there is a floodplain-like strip of nature worthy of protection, where birds still breed today that can no longer be found anywhere else in the entire canton of Basel Town. Since car traffic was not yet questioned on a large scale in 1977 (side effects such as cancer from particulate matter, asthma, etc.), there was no referendum for the time being. However, the Naturefriends group "Region without Toll-free Road" ("Region ohne Zollfreistrasse" - RoZ), led by the doctor Martin Vosseler, among others, took on the toll-free road and organised resistance against the destruction of the floodplain-like river landscape that existed there. The kingfisher, which has its last refuge at this very spot in the canton of Basel Town, became a symbol of the RoZ and a symbol of resistance against the destruction of the "Auenpark" on the Wiese River in general.

The river Wiese with the wooden district "Long Alders" ("Lange Erlen") and with the fruit trees and vines on the southern slope of Tüllingen Hill represents a more or less intact landscape ensemble. The birds would be driven away by the construction noise alone and by the expected car noise on the river Wiese, even if statistically not all trees are cut down.

4. Germany builds the access roads - the Swiss government gives in in 2004

Since the 1980s, the arguments for and against the toll-free road in Riehen in the canton of Basel Town have been passed around without result, although the counter-arguments actually predominate. At the same time, the German side - despite all the misgivings - began to build the access roads to the Swiss border, and industrial companies and a drive-in McDonald's have already set up their positions on the future main connection in Lörrach. Germany has thus created new pro-arguments and thus put increasing pressure on the Swiss side. Thus, everyone can also imagine the expected traffic that this duty-free road will provoke.

The Swiss government with Transport Minister Federal Councillor Mr. Leuenberger (a Socialist!) and the government of the canton of Basel Town nevertheless said yes to the construction of the toll-free road against all reason after large demonstrations and after a months-long tent city of the organization RoZ (Region Without Toll-free Road) in 2004. The pressure from the governments in the town of Weil am Rhein (Dietz), in the town of Lörrach (Heute-Blum) and in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau (Sternberg) as well as the German government (red-green!) became too great. The tectonic dangers on a "sliding slope", the water protection area and the destruction of the landscape ensemble are not acknowledged by the German side.

The German side rejected a tunnel solution through the mountain instead of at the foot of the mountain because the planning procedure was too long, just as any compensation offers in terms of public transport (new tram lines) were rejected by the German side. On the contrary, in February 2006 the city of Lörrach decided that a tram extension of line 6 from Riehen to Lörrach - which had been destroyed by Lörrach in the 1960s (!) - should not be re-established because a tram would compete with the city railway (S-Bahn), although the final distribution is done by the tram. Lörrach continues to rely on the car...

5. 2005: Basel Town offers financing of a tunnel solution to Freiburg i.Br. - this offer is not communicated to Berlin

In the year of 2005, at a consultation in Freiburg i.Br., the Basel government officially made an offer to finance a large part of a tunnel solution for the toll-free road. In 2006, the German government in Berlin claimed that it had no knowledge of this Basel offer. This means that Sternberg's government commissioner in Freiburg i.Br. has embezzled Basel's offer from Berlin.

Excerpt from the article: Berlin also wants duty-free. Government is in favor of construction; Basler Zeitung, 23.3.2006, p.11:
(orig. German: Auch Berlin will Zollfreie. Regierung ist für den Bau; Basler Zeitung)

Translation with Translator.eu:

<In the answer to the "Little Appeal" of the German National Parliament member Mrs. Eva Bulling-Schröter of the parliamentary group "The Left", the federal government backs the construction of the toll-free road. The answers to the 18 questions of the members of parliament do not contain any new insights. With one exception: In question ten, Mrs. Bulling-Schröter wants to know why the federal government did not respond to the financial offer of the Basel government. A year ago [in 2005], government councillor Guy Morin (Greens) [of Basel] offered a "double-digit million amount" for the realization of a tunnel variant in the Sliding Slope zone. The simple answer of the federal government [to the "minor question" of the German National Parliament member Eva Bulling-Schröter to the federal government in 2006]: "The Federal Government is not aware of such an offer from the government of the canton of Basel Town."

"The fault is not ours," says Mr. Morin, who finds the matter "a pity". He had submitted the offer to the Freiburg Regional Council, where it apparently was not reported to Berlin: "In the climatic relationship between us and Freiburg at the time, the offer was not heard," says Morin. The offer was meant seriously, "that would have meant an investment for the entire region." For Morin, the offer is not yet off the table, but they do not want to make it again, "that has to come from another side now". The Freiburg Regional Government (Regierungspräsidium) was unable to comment on this yesterday>

Conclusion: A Mercedes accelerator pedal wants right of way without a brain
The question arises here why Mr. von Ungern-Sternberg of Freiburg i.Br. does not forward a financing offer from a government delegation from Basel Town to Berlin. He seems to be abusing his competences and stuck on the Mercedes accelerator pedal in car megalomania.

6. 2006: The blind Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland - the population votes yes to the protection of the river Wiese in 2006 - the Sliding Slope (Schlipf) and the water protection area remain the same

In 2004, the first clearing with cutting of trees was carried out. At the beginning of 2006, the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne granted a clearing permit for further parts of the construction site, although not all pieces of land for the toll-free road have yet been expropriated. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court did not pay attention to the tectonic dangers on the Sliding Slope (Schlipf), because mountains - and also the birds - were not legally rated in the "legal transaction". The second clearing action was then carried out, although 10 days later a referendum was held to protect the entire bank of the river Wiese.

In February 2006, the population (electorate) of Basel voted by a clear majority in favor of the protection of the entire bank of the river Wiese on Basel cantonal territory in the initiative of the RoZ (Region Without a Toll-free Road). However, the German side continues to push for the construction and destruction of the bank of the river Wiese with the toll-free road, although the regionally oriented people know that the "Sliding Slope" ("Schlipf") is a permanent danger. The entire Tüllingen Hill (Tüllinger Berg) is constantly in motion, so that, for example, cracks regularly occur on the Lörrach-Rheinfelden motorway and boundary stones have to be set anew regularly.

At the same time, the engineers claim that they can screw 60m long screws into the mountain into the sediments to stabilize the "Sliding Slope". The destruction of the landscape in favor of the car continues, although not all pieces of land have been expropriated yet, in a unique, floodplain-like peripheral area of the canton of Basel Town, on the edge of a water protection area...

Conclusion: Two Mercedes accelerator pedals want right of way without any brain
The car megalomania of federal judges, who do not want to take note of the geological facts on the Sliding Slope and a drinking water protection area, is combined with the megalomania of the Freiburg i.Br. regional council under Mr. von Ungern-Sternberg. Two Mercedes accelerator pedals have met. Hitler's autobahn policy continues.

Comment: This Toll-free Road between Weil and Lörrach passing the territory of Basel Town destroying the Wiese River banks is a CRIME
-- against humanity
-- against nature and wildlife.
But politicians are accustomed to commit crimes as we can see with the Roche Towers in Dragon Basel since 2020.
Michael Palomino - Dec 3, 2024

News

Now the Toll-free Road between Lörrach and Weil am Rhein has been built, and what happens? It's a CRIME!

May 3, 2014: New commuter flows provoked by the Toll-free Road: <Basel North is threatened with a traffic collapse>

Neue Pendlerströme durch die Zollfreistrasse: <Basel Nord droht ein Verkehrskollaps>
from: Basel News (Basler Zeitung) online; May 3, 2014;
http://bazonline.ch/basel/stadt/Basel-Nord-droht-ein-Verkehrskollaps/story/14243708

Trantlation:

<from Mischa Hauswirth. actualized at 7:59am 25 comments

Traffic over the Toll-free Road is already putting a heavy burden on Freiburger Road (Freiburgerstrasse). But with the planned traffic-calming measures in Riehen, things could develop even worse.

The journey from the Otterbach customs crossing towards the city leads past a railway embankment on one side and the asylum center and the Bässlergut prison on the other. The traffic situation in this corner of Basel North has been considered tense for some time. Since last autumn, vehicles have been added that drive from Lörrach via the Toll-free Road to Weil am Rhein and from there cross the border at the Otterbach customs crossing.

However, the Toll-free Road, which was intended to relieve traffic in Riehen and in the Basel districts of Hirzbrunnen and Baden Railway Station (Badischer Bahnhof), will cause the road system around the Wiesen Roundabout (Wiesenkreisel) to be massively loaded. An initial assessment by the authorities is sobering. "An increase in traffic in the Freiburg Road area has been noticeable since the opening of the Toll-free Road – especially in the morning peak towards the city and in the evening peak towards Germany," says Martin Schütz, media spokesman for the Department of Justice and Security Basel Town. The same observation is made by those who stand at the customs crossing every day. The border guards note that "since the opening of the Toll-free Road, daily cross-border commuter traffic from Germany in the morning between 6 and 8.30 a.m. in the direction of Basel has increased noticeably," says Patrick Gantenbein, media spokesman for the Basel border guard. "In the afternoon, from around 4 p.m., the return traffic of cross-border commuters to Germany will start again." This lasts until around 8 p.m., says Gantenbein.

Riehen will exacerbate the situation

These problems will increase further when the 31 million Swiss franc road construction project in Riehen is launched: There, Lörrach Road (Lörracherstrasse) is to be redesigned as a flanking measure to the Toll-free Road. In addition to a 30 km/h zone and extra-wide cycle lanes, trees and shrubs are also planned in Riehen in the current carriageway towards the border. Above all, however, the merging of the car lane with the tram line will have a direct impact on the flow of traffic. Structural obstacles are to be used to encourage motorists and especially cross-border commuters to drive into Switzerland via the Toll-free Road and via the Otterbach customs in the future.

But if traffic in Riehen no longer flows as it does today, this will have a direct impact on Basel North. Politician Felix Wehrli (SVP) knows the area around Freiburg Road from his time with the traffic police and he still drives through it almost every day. The path taken with the dismantling in Riehen will be a boomerang for Basel's transport policy, says Wehrli. "For me, the road network in Basel North is on the verge of collapse. We already have an overload, which leads to traffic jams and waiting times of up to 20 minutes between the Wiesen Roundabout, High Mountain Road (Hochbergerstrasse) and the Otterbach border crossing. It can't take any more than that."

For Hans-Peter Wessels' (SP) Department of Construction and Transport (Bau- und Verkehrsdepartement - BVD), the traffic situation is "not only affected by the opening of the toll-free road". "The traffic effects and interactions of various projects in the north of Little Basel (Kleinbasel), such as the port connection, the opening of the Stücki shopping centre and the Science Park, the development of the Erlenmatt dwelling site and the extension of tram line 8, were therefore investigated by a Basel engineering firm on behalf of the BVD as early as 2007," says Marc Keller, BVD media spokesman. This has shown that "there could be a temporary bottleneck".

"Not responsible"

In principle, the BVD does not declare itself responsible for this traffic jam-Bermuda triangle. "With the new financial equalization between the federal government and the cantons, responsibility for traffic in the area around Freiburgerstrasse as a motorway feeder road went to the Federal Roads Office," Keller explains when asked. This version is causing astonishment at the Federal Roads Office (Bundesamt für Strassen - Astra). The federal authorities reject responsibility to the canton and explain why: It is true that the Wiesen Roundabout and the Freiburg Road traffic light system belong to the federal government as so-called main traffic junctions, as they are located in the perimeter of the motorway feeder roads, says Astra media spokeswoman Mrs. Esther Widmer. But: "The canton is responsible for controlling the traffic light systems, because the main traffic flows come from the cantonal roads."

Even more trucks

Even today, a passage in Basel North is a nerve-wracking test of patience. Although it is only a few hundred meters from the Otterbach customs through Freiburg Road to Black Forest Alley (Schwarzwaldallee) or High Mountain Road (Hochbergerstrasse), cars are jammed here every day. On Fridays and Saturdays especially because of shopping tourism.

And this situation is likely to worsen even without the accompanying measures in Riehen. Continuous creeping traffic is already being favored by the single-lane traffic routing in the Wiesen Roundabout, by other construction sites in the neighborhood and the traffic to Stücki. And it is still completely unclear how the development in the dwelling zone Alder Meadow (Erlenmatt) and the settlement development plans will affect the traffic situation – an easing of the situation is the least likely. In addition, there is the discussed construction of port basin 3 with corresponding construction site traffic and a strategic decision by the environmental service provider Valorec. The company is soon to move a large part of the trucks from Zurich to Basel, to a site between Freiburg Road and the Stücki shopping center.

What could be the consequence of a further tightening is illustrated by an observation by the border guards: When drivers are stuck in traffic jams and hardly anything works, hateful scenes easily occur. "We have noticed this not only at the Otterbach border crossing, but for some years now at all neuralgic road crossings throughout northwestern Switzerland, where there is a backlog due to excessive traffic and subsequently waiting times," says Gantenbein. (Basler Zeitung)>

Comment: CAPITULATION
10 years ago, I demonstrated with Mr. Vosseler against the Toll-free Road and for more city railway. It was then simply said: "State treaty is state treaty" and Mrs. Schneider (traffic deputy from Basel Town Government) signed the capitulation in Freiburg. Now comes the second part of the capitulation: the increase in traffic with cars and trucks. And the third part: One of the most beautiful corners in BS+LÖ has been destroyed. Thank you.

Michael Palomino, May 3, 2014

Comment 2: Total destruction of landscape, wildlife - and now the Roche Towers
Thank you for the violation and destruction of unique nature landscape and wildlife on Wiese River. Politicians in Basel and Baden-Württemberg are VIOLATORS against nature. And the Roche Towers in Basel are the confirmation of this megalomania of Basel policy - crazy up to the end of the sky just on the Rhine River board, the whole cityscape is disfigured, being built just on an unsafe alluvial ground, one of the towers is already inclined, and without any people's vote - this is Basel Pharma dictatorship never thinking of the effects of nature and mentality. Basel becomes concerning nature and wildlife and cityscape a toxic shithole. The poison towers of the Roche, which produced the toxic "corona tests", can be seen from 20km destroying the landscape view - Basel is a poison horror now also with the far view!

Michael Palomino, Dec 3, 2024