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click to enlarge US STUDY TRIP ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY TO SWITZERLAND
FROM AUGUST 27 TO 31
SWITZERLAND
Together with the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC, the Consulates General and Honorary Consuls in the United States, and the swissnex US network, Presence Switzerland organized a Study Trip on Public Transportation and Mobility to Switzerland end of August. The participants came from the mayor’s office, transportation agencies or think tanks from Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Denver and Seattle.
The one week program of the study trip provided insights in the following fields of Public Transportation and Mobility in Switzerland:
- Infrastructure (tunnel, bridges, maintenance) and rolling material (trains, handling cargo)
- Mobility as an integration of different means of transportation (train, bus, tram, ship, and car sharing), with a focus on timetable, tariffs, role of the different jurisdictions (federal state, cantons, municipalities) and private companies
- Long term financial aspects of mobility
- New concepts of mobility and transportation in rural and urban areas
- Science, technology and education in transportation planning and mobility
- Policy making: Direct democracy and federalism, sustainability, economic development, international relations, etc.
One participant of the study trip summarized his experience after the week as follows: “As a result each team member has gained a personal appreciation for transportation and mobility in Switzerland. It has opened doors to contacts that may foster new collaboration between Swiss and American business counterparts. As opportunities for Swiss / American collaboration develop I will be in full support as I am certain that each of the other team members will also.”