yes, cycling and scootering and biking in Suisse Romande is a dangerous pursuit.....

Get spikes is what I say....

David, I've crossed Place de Neuve while driving and I never want to do it again.  I, too, cannot figure it out.

The only type of vehicle not in danger in Place Neuve is the trams that go hurtling through there...

Still, I don't understand why many cyclists don't wear helmets, particularly parents who take the time to put a little cover on their kid's noggin but not their own...

You're not going to change the behavior of drivers or pedestrians and there are places that cyclists should avoid. Place Neuve is one of them, and so are the Pont du Mont Blanc, rue des Deux Ponts, etc. Whenver I have to go there, I take side roads. I may loose two minutes but gain the rest of my life :-)

Reminds me of the traffic circles in Washington, D.C. -- the sites of numerous accidents....Must  be another of these horrible influences of the French...

http://ezinearticles.com/?Traffic-Circles-in-Washington-DC&id=3927871

Genevas own little Arc de Triomphe....

I know the feeling but not in Geneva as I've driven my bike I think on every road including Neuve multiple times and never had a close call.  However you are good as your last mistake.  I know the feeling because a few years back in Toronto in a quiet neighborhood I was riding my bike downhill in a bike lane constantly looking around to know what's going on 360 degrees when I noticed a van coming up behind me.  The roads are extremely wide and the air was clear so the driver saw me for about 15 seconds at least.  As we approached a T intersection at the bottom of the hill, all the while I am applying my brakes the van turned right in front of me.  I instinctively swerved left and was lucky there was no traffic.  Fortunately, sitting in his cruiser at the intersection was a policeman so I immediately approached him and told him what happened.  His reply was that he hadn't seen it because he was watching for the owner of the lost dog in the back of the car!  It's a dog's life sometimes!

Ah, the Arc de Triomphe - one of the wonders of the modern world. Surely the only roundabout in the world where the traffic already on the roundabout must give way to the traffic coming onto it.

I can watch it for hours!

I just bought a scooter a few weeks ago and I am coming in from France every morning. Somehow I thought that the wreckless drivers who ignore the scooters on the road would be the French ones. But to my surprise, the cars that cut me, pass me when it's really dangerous etc., are the ones with a Swiss licence plate... It's really difficult to drive here and I learned driving scooters in India... Luckily my work is not in the city centre which I seriously try to avoid.

It's a jungle out there!

I commute 20k a day on a bike and this pretty accurately illustrates my experience with biking in Geneve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAethD1Io_Y

Don't want to sound too Germanic but can imagine that cycling in Zug is different and that people there think beyond the apero horizon. Call it J-m'en-foutisme.

Apart from that I enjoy living in Geneva.

Guys!!! Get a copy of the Highway code! This will explain Place Neuve as well as the Paquis and Carouge systems!!!

In Switzerland, traffic users have to observe 'priority to the right' where there are no road signals. Therefore, at Place Neuve, where there is a stop line (i.e. a horizontal line), the car has to stop and give way to traffic on both sides. Where there is no stop line (sorry if this is the wrong term, but it's basically the stop on an intersection), then you observe the priority to the right rule. So, if you are already going around place Neuve, you should look at the roads leading to Place Neuve. If there is a marked line, you can proceed as you have right of way. If there is no line, or it is curved around, then you have to give way to the car on your right that is about to enter place Neuve.

When people don't know the system, that can be dangerous. That's why people still slow down as they are not sure if the other person is going to observe 'priorité a droite'

Yes, we all know about right-of-way...

But that's not what happens in Place Neuve. I lived in the Old Town for a number of years a have seen many a near accident there on a daily basis.

One of the most dangerous points for pedestrians is the crossing from the Old Town side to the Parc de Bastions by the number 3 and 5 bus stop.  The bus obscures pedestrians beginning their crossing while vehicles in the left lane move at a fairly high rate of speed toward the intersection.

On the second half of the crossing, cars and busses are trying to beat the tram passing or large groups of tourists and others continuing their crossing.

And that is only one crossing! That place needs lights or full stop sign enforcement.  There is little effort to follow right-of-way.  It's more every man, woman and child for himself.

'Yes, we all know about right-of-way...'

hmmmm... really? Well the posts don't really indicate this.

I walk/drive regularly there and while I do observe idiots driving and cycling like idiots, I walk/drive carefully, follow the rules and voila- I negotiate the bermuda 'square'!

And please please please!! No more traffic lights in Geneva....argghhhh

Yes, I have also negotiated Place Neuve on a regular basis.  So do others.  This doesn't mean that it is not a dangerous traffic area.  The same kind of chaos can be seen at Rive as well as at Cornavin.

Although most drivers know the right-of-way-rules, many simply don't care about following them.  In addition, Place Neuve is not a well-designed roundabout; trams run through it in two directions on a regular basis.  Cars often speed up to beat the tram and so on...

You don't think it's dangerous but others do..

Of course, it's no big deal as long as everybody arrives alive... 

So I hope not to see David sprawled out in the middle of Place looking as if General Du Four had come to life and trampled him...

You were luckier than Brian was yesterday:

http://www.tdg.ch/geneve/actu/brian-veille-aime-2011-04-07

Speaking about the highway code, how come no Genevan driver seems to know they should keep some distance, when passing a cyclist?

http://www.provelogeneve.ch/images/stories/Activites/publications/pro-velo_guide%20juridique.pdf

They don't seem to know either that  a cyclist who is continuing straight ahead has priority over a car that wants to go turn right. 

Priority to the right is in place in many countries but doesn't always work.  I had the displeasure of driving up to an unsigned intersection in Brussels.  As there were cars parked on all sides of the roads up to the intersection itself visibility was restricted and one had to drive extrememly slowly looking in all directions.  I did so going a few kilometers per hour and on my left a car approached and proceded across in front of me contrary to the rules as I was there first.  I checked in all directions and saw I could proceed.  Halfway through I saw to my right a car approaching at a fast pace with the driver looking right rather than in front of him and he ran into the back end of my car.  In Belgium priority to the right makes drivers look right so they don't hit anyone ending up the guilty party and they ignore the rest (cyclists, pedestrians, cats/dogs and cars on the left ignoring the rule).  It is all to their peril. Lucky for me and unlucky for him, I was driving a big company Mercedes and he a mini.  After filling in papers I drove off and his totalled mini was left behind.

When I started driving at the age of 14 in Canada I was taught one drives at a speed that according to visibility allows you enough time to brake should you need to.  I've forgotten all the details but we were taught about average reaction time before a person puts their feet on the brakes and the distance travelled plus the distance/time it takes to come to a stop at various speeds.  This simple rule/understanding seems not to exist anywhere anymore.

One final comment, in my opinion driving behaviour seems to be influenced by the rush and sense of urgency drivers have getting to work or other destinations.  In Toronto you take your life into your hands crossing at intersections even when you have the right of way whereas on two occasions in smaller Canadian cities (1 million and 300,000 inhabitants)  I've had cars stop as I stood, not at an intersection, looking across the road  and not with the intention of crossing.  People were not feeling in a rush.  I was so surprised with this courtesy after living in Toronto and Belgium.

How extremely sad.  No matter where I am and whether driving, cycling or walking I am fanatically paying attention to what's going on around me as far as cars, motorcycles and bikes are concerned.  I look both ways a couple times before crossing and make sure I have eye contact with an  approaching driver.  It's unfortunate but you have to be fanatic to be safe on the road and even then you're as good as your last mistake.  But what about young impulsive children and older slower people?  Drivers have to realise they are in a very dangerous machine - big, heavy and with speed i.e. capable of causing serious damage to other objects e.g. human beings, cars, bikes.  This realisation of the danger and responsibility of driving has to be drilled into everyone's head before they are giving a drivers license and thereafter through frequent regular publicity campaigns and the presence of police at dangerous spots handing out substantial tickets to dangerous drivers.

I hope you are joking!  Slow down, you move too fast...(Simon and Garfunkel).  Long live traffic lights to slow down and control the flow of these dangerous machines.  Do a simple calculation: you have twenty km in Geneva to drive to your destination.  At 40 km/hr it takes 30 minutes (assuming no stops).  At 60 km/hr it takes 20 minutes.  You've saved 10 minutes - big deal.  Extend this thought experiment to other distances and speeds and you realise how absurd it is to be in a rush, accelerate through amber and red lights (only to have to stop at the next one) and drive faster than the limit or what is safe under the conditions in which you drive.

How true...

There is a big difference between "don't know" and "don't care."  Just observe  the numbers of people driving while talking on their cell phone. 

Here are a couple of clips from the Swiss national highway safety authority

http://youtu.be/xyVp6QdxkB0

http://youtu.be/1Pj4RG44pTU

For some reason, it wasn't working with the YouTube setup...

How perfectly summed up!  I think the clips might have a better affect than the billboard campaign in Belgium years back that said 'Snel rijden is zo dom als snel vrijen' (Driving fast is as dumb as making love fast - subjective of course) accompanied by a picture of a pretty woman.  On TV there was always a public announcement by some policeman on a variety of topics and I often thought why not a simple demonstration like my 40kph vs 60kph example to illustrate the futility and senslessness of snel rijden.

When in doubt, slow down and give the right of way to everybody ;)

Anyone driving regularly in Europe will know that when they see a red number plate in their rear-view mirror to slow down and get out of the way. Belgians are renowned for being the worst in Western Europe!!

Belgium didn't use driver's licenses until the 60s....

I think I agree though I've driven through thick mist in Austria where cars zoomed by me.  They perhaps knew the road better than I did and had more confidence. Perhaps!  I arrived alive and for that I am thankful.

I once was driving back to Toronto from a long hike with my three boys being cutoff a number of times along the way and having to take the defensive action of braking.  Finally as I was going through a lighted large intersection - on a green light having slowed down as I do going through intersections - with clear visibility a car on the right approached the intersection, didn't stop and forced me to brake.  I papped my horn gently and then the flashing lights on this ghost car went on and I pulled over and stopped.  The policeman approached my car and his first words were "did I cut you off".  Being the chicken i am I said no.  He asked how my day was and I quickly recounted a wonderful day of hiking.  He wished me well and a good day and went back to his car and drove off.  I guess I got off lucky for comitting the offense of having honked my horn to indicate his wrongful act and my displeasure.

My mother-in-law had a drivers license from  decades before without a road test but never drove.  I often sat in fear in the back seat without seatbelts (not mandatory then: 1986) as my future father-in-law drove my future wife and I back to Leuven where we were studying.  However the Belgians were great at staying to the right and only passing on the left and immediately getting back in the right lane.  After 5 years away (starting in 1994) I returned to drivers whom I call middle of the roaders (middle of three lanes) and people who drove in whichever lane they fancied obliging (?) one to slalom on the roads.  Just like in Ontario where the rule is stay right unless to pass (in fact there are road signs indicating this on highways.  But do people follow the rules?!

Actually I'm not joking. Traffic lights have to be reasonable so that they regulate the flow of traffic without causing unnecessary jams by having a traffic light every 10 meters.  I don't know if you have ever sat in a traffic jam in Geneva? But part of the problem is that traffic lights frequently only let a few cars through at a time. There is one, for example, on the rue de Saint Jean down to Boulevard James Fazy which lets about 3 cars pass before turning red and causes a tail back all the way down the road. Adding more and more traffic lights creates more tailbacks and more pollution.

And who is in a rush? Just for info- the insinuation that everyone drives like a maniac and irresponsibly is extremely annoying and untrue!

Thanks for the clarification.  I know what you mean and have experienced similar circumstances driving from Hermance to Jardin Botanique - and I understand the frustration.  I don't think I insinuated that everyone drives like a maniac and in fact am very pleased that cars stop for me as I wait for a safe moment to cross at a pedestian crosswalk - I wave my hand or give the peace sign.  In fact yesterday as I in my right and after looking in all directions crossed from WMO in the direction of WTO when a huge truck approached the intersection/crosswalk blocking my path, the driver waved at me to indicate his admission of a fault and I waved back to say thank you and no big deal.  I walked safely behind him and carried on in my merry way enjoying a safe walk through Geneva and not encountering any aggressive or dangerous drivers. We all sometimes feel in a rush and forget to pay attention to what they say in Dutch the zwakke weggebruikers (the weaker users of the routes).  I hope you will give some thought to my reflections on this issue of traffic safety and hope the city of Geneva will be vigilant in doing the right thing respecting drivers, cyclists and pedestians.

Yep...I hear you.

Just one question...

"When I started driving at the age of 14 in Canada"

Er- is this legal???  I thought the minimum age was 16....

I think they have some small mario-cart-like cars that you can drive from 14. They do that in the States as well. Also nothing stops you from driving on private roads or circuits. The age limit and driver's license requirement is just for public roads.

aaaahhhh. Okay...well, thank goodness for that then

yup, everyone driving in Geneva wonders which retard designed the traffic light system. It's causes lots of traffic jams, which is annoying for users of public transport, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. 

But I do wonder why on earth people use their car for trips within the canton of Geneva, even when the weather is good.

Is it because the roads are dangerous and they feel safer in a car than on a bicycle ? I can't think of any other reason really. 

At the time (1974) one could get a `learner`s permit`and drive if accompanied by someone with a full driver`s license over the age of 18.  I drove with my mother and father to the store etc. and learned how to drive safely.

Learner`s permit meant you did a written test and passed.

Now I wonder if we're talking about a different intersection.  I'm looking at it on Google Earth and it doesn't resemble the meat grinder that I remember.  That said, a clear overhead view of the intersection raises more questions than answers.

It's clear that it was designed when all of the traffic was horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts.  

Maybe they need to shop 'big' or plan to return late.. or they have to traverse through Geneva to get to the other side.. or their destination is not Geneva.. maybe they have kids to drop off/pick up.. or they don't live in the city center.. so many reasons :)

ummmm.... Has anyone ever actually driven in a city like Rome, Milan, Athens, etc?? Geneve is very very very safe!!!  Cars always stop for crossing pedestrians on the zebra crossings... which does not actually happen in most countries they would just run you over.

Also... I drive a car, I respect pedestrians, scooters, cyclists etc... as do most drivers that I see.  On most occasions it is the scooter and cyclists being dangerous. For example why do they insist to go all the way to the front at a traffic light and stay in front of a car when a car would take off much faster?? I see cyclists zig zagging through traffic all the time, so you cannot blame everything on the "crazy drivers". Everyone is responsible.  Sorry, no hard feeling, but do not agree with most of you!

I think it just depends on what perspective you see it from.  The cyclists thnk the drivers are at fault and vice versa I guess...

Yes, ride your bike a couple of days and you'll see there are madmen on both sides. You'll also see why cyclists do certain things, like making sure they cross an intersection before trucks and cars do, something that is absolutely vital. 

Ah well, that's the answer. We should all ditch our bicycles and scooters and drive cars instead.

Personally speaking, their are 2 reasons why I go to the front of the queue on my bicycle. Firstly, it is extremely rare for car drivers to actually indicate if they are going to turn right at traffic lights, so if I'm not in front I run the risk of being knocked off (yes, this has actually happened - a Swiss driver's idea of indicating, if they bother at all, is to turn on the indicator when already half way around the corner), and, secondly, as someone mentioned earlier, the lights often only let through a few cars at a time and it makes no sense to sit at the back of the queue and wait my turn - I may as well be driving a car and causing even more pollution.

Bicycles emit no fumes and do not damage the environment. There really is no need to commute by car in central Geneva as the public transport system is excellent (try commuting in London). 

By the way, as I said in the initial post, I spent 10 years commuting into London by motorbike and it was definitely safer than Geneva (that being the point of the post).

Unless youre in a tuned car, or natural sports car I challenge anyone to get away from traffic lights faster than a scooter or motorbike.... of course they should go first... theyre much faster over the 1st 50meters.

I drive a fairly fast car and have no issues with two wheels hopping in front of me at lights... its safer for them and also for me.

However, When cyclists jump red lights, then I take issue, since then theyre dicing with death, and my paintwork....

"Bicycles emit no fumes and do not damage the environment. There really is no need to commute by car in central Geneva as the public transport system is excellent (try commuting in London). "

Maybe not for you, but other people may, shocker, have other priorities, schedules and perhaps objects to transport. I like to bike, too (during summer, that is) - but sometimes it makes sense to drive and, like you, I am no fan of smog, heavy traffic or accidents. At other times, it makes sense to use my demitariff card on the tram. See? Thank you for the enlightenment regarding pollution, by the way ;)

btw the discussing about behaviour if cyclists often arises in Geneva:

http://www.provelogeneve.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=171&Itemid=2

A question then in general. The swiss seem to love their rules and regulations, not a month seems to go by or I have to produce some type of paper that states that I have proper healthcare, am qualified for my job, have money on the bank, and properly recycle my tin cans.

So, whats up with the traffic rules? I am starting to think at times that driving on the right side of the road and stopping for red lights are mere suggestions by the goverment for ones personal consideration. 

The Dutch happily enforce traffic rules to the point that a substantial part of the population thinks its really a tax scheme, rather than something for your personal safety.

Several trafic lights are designed on purpose to limit trafic, especially when going towards the centre of town. If you let too many cars into the centre at one time, you will actually reduce throughput, due to the extra gridlock.

One example is entering into Rue de Lausanne, (just before Pickwicks) where traffic is limited to what the road is capable of supporting. Had there been more cars there, the trams wouldn't be able to get through, with less overall throughput as a result.

Another example is the lights limiting trafic entering into Grand Sacconex (from Ferney or from Collex) where they evidently want to keep queued-up cars outside the habitated area, to avoid too much nuicance for the people living there. I'm a driver, but I find this very sensible.

I drove back in 1985 in Milan and as a young man it was great fun being aggressive (not exactly the right word) but cautious at the same time just as in those Parisian roundabouts. I agree that in comparison Geneva is v v safe.

The difference about bikes and cars (respecting your perspective on cyclists) is that I know cars have killed cyclist but not vice versa (perhaps pedestrians?).

I would agree with the point about scooters. I've observed scooter and minibike riders exhibit extremely dangerous behavior often when it's raining.

I would not blame everything on the drivers, of course. Geneva has been growing for awhile and the combination of less- than-adept planning and refusal to build another bridge (or tunnel) has led to chaos in key areas.  One hopes this will be improved over time..

Unfortunately, many pedestrians have been knocked down and badly injured by cyclists who appear to believe that using an ecological form of transport conveys the right to be above both the law and any form of basic common courtesy.

I have never learned to drive so I speak solely  as a pedestrian who is convinced that she will surely end up in the Cantonal sooner or later and not necessarily because of the chaos of place Neuve either.

For the record, my vision is impaired so I use a white walking-stick but if anyone thinks this provides any protection from cyclists, they are welcome to borrow it and try crossing the road on any pedestrian crossing.  Most car/van/bus/motor-bike drivers stop when they see me standing on the curb, but cyclists . . . you must be joking !

Hey David,

I'm riding motorbike in Geneva since 2,5 years.

If someone will be SO STUPID to get in front of me without looking, on the red light (when I have green),etc,  I'll give him a lesson.

I've got an accident cause a stupid woman didn't keep her child and it run on the street...Imagine the end (nobody get hurt) BUT I had very clearly remind her that it's her job to keep an eye on her child.

As long you have only 2 wheels (bicycle, bike, scooter), most of the time everybody will prewtend it's your fault.

People got their driving lincence on lottery, no-imagination ladies drivinmg their mini and telling a last episode of "Top Models" to a passager making make up same time, some guys thinking they have same abilities as the guy from TRANSPORTER, I said them them all as Lilly Allen:

"F...you" :)

You are on the bike/ motorbike/ scooter- you have 50% chance more to die IF you will not keep your eyes open!

So: keep your eyes open and get good life/health insurance.

Have a nice day!

Sounds like the weather has a very good influence on your mood. 

I remember there was a big survey about traffic behaviour once, in the Netherlands.

It turned out that 99,9 % of the participants thought they themselvers were good drivers, but most of them thought other users of the road did not know what they were doing and were too agressive. 

Food for thought. 

Yes, maybe I was spoiled, coming from a country where kids went to school and all there activities on their bikes, never needing their parents to be a taxi driver. 

The police would come every year to our primary school and check all the bikes on road-worthiness (head lights, brakes, bell). I and a lot of my friends only got our driver's license around the age of 25-30. No need for it before that. (and yes, that's when you notice how dangerous it is when cyclists don't use headlights or a reflecting vest)

What surprises me in Geneva, is that the whole bike-car-scooter things seems to be a battle between classes and political views, and that for many drivers, cyclists shouldn't exist. I wonder why. To me, more cyclists means fewer traffic jams and more free parking spaces, which is in the interest of those who need or want to do their trips by car or public transport. 

And yes, I'd like to stay alive when I choose to cycle

A long white stick is also very useful for sticking between the spokes of rude and unaware cyclists.....

(imagine who would be at blame if you managed to joust one of em off their bike with your stick as they belt over a red light.... not you for sure... excuse to police "so sorry officer, as you can clearly see, I am impaired, so on hearing the pedestrian lights go green assumed it was clear...is the poor fellow ok?")

and then its simply a sniggering ...."tap tap tap" off into the sunset... 

Survivor’s rules when driving a two wheels engine:
1) Anything that is heavier than you, especially when it’s got 4 wheels or more, has right-of-way, no matter what the highway code says, unless you absolutely want to be right and end up at the hospital
2) Don’t be stupid and admit it, unless you absolutely want to be right and end up at the hospital
3) If you have any doubts about your reasonableness, refer to rule number one, unless you absolutely want to be right and end up at the hospital
4) Make a small detour to avoid places where bicycles do not belong, e.g. use the Pont des Bergues instead of the Pont du Mont-Blanc, unless you absolutely want to end up at the hospital
5) If you have an engine on your two wheels, go as fast as the traffic if not slightly faster. You will be less subject to hazardous overtaking, unless you know what…
6) When ahead of a traffic queue, move off as soon as the traffic light turns green and get off the way or accelerate. There is nothing worse than two wheelers forcing their way through traffic jams, piling up ahead of the queue and driving at 20km/h.
7) you’re not going to change drivers’ attitude, neither in Geneva, nor in any other city.

By the way, I use my bicycle more than my car and I ride it in town every day.

Anything that has no motor or engine should not be considered traffic.

If by "no traffic zone" you mean tramways, then it would be wise to look out for buses, police vehicles and delivery vehicles............ oh, and cycles!

What about skateboards and those little scooter thingys? Some of those overtake me on my cycle......

I agree but I still don't understand why so many people ride their bikes without helmets?!!?

I read in the Tribune de Genève a couple of years ago that a woman died because her front wheel got stuck in a tramway, causing her to tip over and hit her head.

Why risk it?

It's well known that cyclists are immortal and invulnerable, so that's simply the reason :)

Because the pro's and con's of bicycle helmet usage, even in academics, are debated and not as clear cut as one might hope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet

I maintain that my proposal remains closer to the reality, notwithstanding the careful helmet research done by many cyclists prior to biking to work..

Can tell you the reason why I don't wear a helmet: It's basically the same reason as why I don't wear a helmet when I'm a pedestrian.

- I have tried once or twice but reallyI don't like it, they never fit and are never comfortable and I admit, 25 years of cycling without one, it's very hard to get used to it.

- I don't think it will protect me when I get overrun by a car.

- getting stuck in a tramway should not happen, you just should not be cycling there.

- it has not been proven that the using a helmet is safer. (see the wikipedia article)

- I don't feel safer with a helmet on, on the contrary, I feel more stressed.

So I do all the other things with headlights, vest, proper brakes, and even an "écarteur de danger" , (don't think that has been proven to work either, but at least it makes me feel safer), but won't do the helmet.

"Danger Mouse"

"- I don't think it will protect me when I get overrun by a car."

It might, when your head hits the bonnet of said car and/or the asphalt.

Suit yourself, though.. I can't be bothered, either.. not yet, anyway. Only on the slopes and on the rock.

BTW, those who dislike killing bicyclists may want to convince their Swiss friends to vote for the “mobilité douce” on May 15th, requiring:

”pistes cyclables directes, continues et sécurisées”

 “traversées piétonnes attractives et sécurisées, avec des îlots”

Personally, I’d feel much better if this got voted, both as a bicyclist and as a driver.

More info on http://www.mobilite-douce-ge.ch/ or http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=66872896718

You’re putting ideas into my head, Charlie !  As if the wish to joust with my white metal stick where it would really hurt isn’t already enough.

Still having, thankfully, some sight, I don’t qualify for the long white cane, but I’ll keep its potential in mind for the future provided, of course, the pedallers allow me to have one.

‘Courage’ to all, particularly on place Neuve.  R.

BTW, I TOTALLY believe whatever you say --- Are you a stage hypnotist?

http://youtu.be/_aZ2bdnG97A

Hmm.... would you like grapes or flowers when Glocalers visit you in the Hopital Cantonale whilst you recover from your noggin being cracked on the pavement? Micro-filtered milk, fresh from France?

[God forbid that should happen! Don't wanna jinx you...with those chicken little legs of yours...]

If it should happen.. which I hope it won't, since I am taking the tram, my bike being flat and all, then surely the milk for the coffee! (maybe a cold beer, too, pls, for health, of course).

Those chicken legs traversed Salève yesterday at a mindboggling speed. Maybe that's why they feel a bit roasted today. 

I want bicycle lanes with no cars parked on them. 

And a beer please, as I wouldn't be able to go out in genevan traffic anyway.