For its 773rd luncheon, the AIC welcomed Anne Hornung-Soukup, Chair of the Board of Directors, Geneva Public Transport (tpg), and Serge Dal Busco, Conseiller d’Etat of the Canton of Geneva in charge of infrastructure, to discuss “Geneva Mobility”. Carlo Lamprecht, former Conseiller d’Etat of the Canton of Geneva and honorary AIC Vice-President, eloquently introduced the two speakers before each gave their presentation to a crowd of about 50 people.
As enthusiastic as always in her role representing the tpg, Mrs. Hornung-Soukup gave a brief history of the organization, along with noting a few interesting facts. For example, tram line 12 is the oldest tram line still operating in Europe. She further explained that the 20th century was marked by “cars and wars”, and the trend at the time was to move away from public transport toward cars, the latest technology of the day. In fact, many train and tram lines were removed during this period, only to be rebuilt now, such as the new tram line 17 that will extend from Moillesulaz to the center of Annemasse.
On another note, Mrs. Hornung-Soukup informed the audience that the tpg welcomes 215 million passengers per year, and more than 23 million kilometers are covered each year by 458 vehicles. In terms of client satisfaction, Geneva comes out best in Europe, outranking many Scandinavian cities.
On December 15, 2019 at 5:02 am, the Léman Express (formerly known as Ceva) will begin to run. This will be a fundamental change in the mobility in the canton and beyond. Forty percent of Geneva public transport will change on this date to adapt to this new line.
Mrs. Hornung-Soukup went on to mention several other initiatives by the tpg to promote sustainable mobility. She ended with the recommendation that everyone include the closest bus or tram stop on their business card!
Mr. Dal Busco took to the podium with a presentation entitled, “Mobility: A Prerequisite for Geneva’s Prosperity and Attractiveness”. As the Conseiller d’Etat in charge of infrastructure, Mr. Dal Busco related his four primary objectives: 1) accompany the deployment of the Léman Express to make it the backbone of greater Geneva, 2) sharply reduce car commuter traffic, 3) accelerate the implementation of the law LCME (law for coherent and stable mobility), and 4) build new road and public transport infrastructures within deadlines.
Further to Mrs. Hornung-Soukup’s introduction of the Léman Express, Mr. Dal Busco added that the Léman Express was actually 100 years in the making, and that more than 80% of the canton’s inhabitants and almost 86% of the canton’s jobs are located within 1.5 km of one of its stations. He also reiterated the profound impact the Léman Express will have on the mobility in the canton and the surrounding areas, including neighboring France. In total, 1.7 billion CHF has been invested and the capacity of the Léman Express is the equivalent of a two-lane highway. All the public transportation within proximity of a station will have lines redirected to the stations. Parking for cars, motorbikes and bicycles, and other soft mobility infrastructure are also being added.
Encouraging the use of underground city car parks and increasing the control of proper payment for parking are additional measures the canton intends to implement. Finally, Mr. Dal Busco encouraged companies to work at their level, by promoting public transport and soft mobility to their employees and reducing free or subsidized access to car parks.
Both Mrs. Hornung-Soukup and Mr Dal Busco welcomed feedback from the audience and communicated ways to get in touch:
To give suggestions/observations to the tpg: 0800 022 021 20
For information and advice to companies: planmobilite@etat.ge.ch, 022 546 79 00
Remember, December 15 will be a big day for Geneva public transport and commuters are asked to be understanding during the transition.
Paige Holt, September 25, 2019