Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE SWISS CITY of Zurich opened a sex drive-in today which local authorities say will enable them to keep closer tabs on prostitution, a year after voters backed the plan.
Due to be opened officially in a ceremony on August 26, the nine so-called “sex boxes” are located in a former industrial zone in the west of the metropolis, Zurich city hall said in a statement.
The site will be open daily from 7pm to 5am, and only to drivers, who must be alone in their vehicle if they want to pass the gate.
Car-wash style boxes
Echoing a fast-food drive-in, they will have to follow a marked route along which up to 40 prostitutes will be stationed. Once they have negotiated a rate, they will drive to one of the nine car-wash style boxes to have sex.
The boxes will be equipped with alarms, allowing the prostitutes to make rapid contact with police if they are in danger.
With over 1.8 million people, the Zurich conurbation makes up almost a quarter of Switzerland’s population, and the city itself has long been home to a red-light district.
But with local residents fed up of prostitutes and clients plying the streets, notably along the riverside Sihlquai, the authorities decided to try to shift the sex trade from the city centre.
In addition, officials have said that they want to ensure the safety of prostitutes, stem trafficking by crime networks and reduce the role of the underground sex trade.
Referendum
The sex-box plan was approved by voters in in a referendum last year.
Work on the new site cost €1.6 million below the voter-approved budget, while running costs are expected to be around 700,000 Swiss francs a year.
Zurich has spared no effort to encourage the prostitutes and their clients to leave the city centre and use the new site, making it as pleasant as possible, with grassy areas and decorative lights.
It will be marked clearly with signposts sporting a red umbrella, a well-known symbol for the sex trade notably in eastern Europe.
To avoid putting off clients, city authorities said they had no plans to install video surveillance or deploy police at the site permanently. Social workers and security guards will be on hand, however.
Legal prostitution
The sex-box plan is just one of a series of measures in Zurich to deal with prostitution, which is legal in Switzerland.
Since January, prostitutes have been required to obtain a permit to ply their trade. To receive one, they must have a Swiss work permit and health insurance.
In addition, they must pay a tax of five Swiss francs per night of work.
Clients, meanwhile, can only seek sex in three designated areas of Zurich – the new sex-box site, a zone near a highway, and, for those on foot, in part of the old town district.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Pumps go up in 5…4…3…2….1… and they won’t be coming down that’s for sure
@kevinhunt101: that’s very true. beef prices up too
@kevinhunt101:
Fuel prices increase…VAT increases both on retail and pump purchace.
The garage still only makes between 10 -15 cent p/l
@kevinhunt101: This in a nut shell is why we should be going electric…..no more dependence of spikes with petrol prices
@Peter Hughes: since we are already buying 20% of our electricity from europe how do you not see it rising?… with every venture being objected I dont see how we get to a point where we are sufficient. Wind farms are being objected because of the “not in my back garden” group. Fossil fuels plants are being closed due to polution but not being replaced. Ardnacrusha hydro plant floods the shannon yearly. Solar is not that viable in whole sale for us. nuclear albeit is the most logical, but is the one most feared even though our imported electricity comed from England and France’s nuclear sites
We don’t have the capacity in this country if everyone was to go electric.
I smell a right conspiracy.
@John Quill: no one mentioned weapons of mass destruction yet. Troops getting ready, planes on way and drones. Yeah yanks need a war all right!
I’m starting to believe that the next world defining moment will start in that region, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel, all those countries have very close ties to either the US, EU, Russia or China. We like to think cool heads in modern society will stop any chance of human fatalities ever reaching into the millions again in global conflicts, but human history paints a different picture. Surely I’m wrong,, we as a species couldn’t be that stupid to allow our leaders take humanity into another global conflict, could we? But then when you look at who is running some of the worlds most powerful countries maybe it is possible,, scary thought….
@Devilsavocado: I think you answered your own question. The greed of the richest 1% will be the downfall of man.
@Peter Cavey: just to point out, the income level of the top 1% world wide is like 32,000 dollars…. So the average earner in Ireland is a member of the top 1% in the world. The richest 1% are absolutely responsible for the bulk of the world’s problems, but we don’t often see the fallout from our own actions.
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: okay, the top 0.1%, you know what I mean.
Someone’s about to get Freedom just as we head to an election.
Elections coming up. No US President fails to get relected if they are a war president.
Unfortunetly Millions of Iranians will pay the price.
@Niallers: yep, American citizens will vote for war every time. The only way I see this changing is if war visits their own shores to show them what they’re actually voting for. Nah they still wouldn’t change.
@Niallers: Trump’s base are anti-war. He may as well pull out of the election if he goes to war. He’s well aware of it too. How many times have you seen this now since the beginning of 2017? If you have been paying attention then you’ll have noticed a pretty clear pattern emerge. I wouldn’t get too excited about the prospect of war if I were you.
@Burn_the_Witch: I hope you are right.
Thanks CIA.
Has that man ever spoken the truth. His fascism trial is rolling along nicely.
@Paul Furey: Fascism Trial?
@Paul Furey: Give your head a whack Paul, the tape is stuck.
Its the attacks mixed with complete uncertainty of how Trump will respond that drives up prices. The reaction wouldn’t be so “knee jerk” under another president.
@Dan: Nothing uncertain about it – there’ll be no reaction at all. The only thing Trump has actually done is engage in a trade war with China, even then he hasn’t actually imposed half of the tariffs he’s mentioned.
Higher oil prices make it more profitable to extract shale oil in the US so he has a vested interest in allowing the prices to rise (to a point). He’ll mouth off and do nothing as has been his modus operandi since getting elected.
@Dan: Sorry Dan but you’re a d0pe. He’s a non interventionist. He has proved that over and over again. Is it lack of awareness of what’s happening in the world or perhaps TDS that makes you say such things? Id love to know.
Saudi’s suffering from low fuel prices , this be a good way of getting a boost in money terms. There are low Frequency blockers this drones use to prevent this .
Saudis, Emiratis and Qataris buying billions in arms to expend in stone age Yemen at little or no risk of retaliation … until now. According to the UN there are 10K direct casualities in Yemen and at least 40K wounded with up to 10 Million civilians at risk from famine, disease and civil rights abuses. Trump’s response is ‘lock and load’ rhetoric to escalate the situation because stock markets don’t like retaliation!!!
Time for some freedom to be delivered to Iran, who will somehow get the blame for this with the Saudi’s and Israel pulling Trump and the US puppet strings….
@Michael Patrick Newell: I think the US will quickly come to the realisation that fighting Persians in Iran is a different proposition to Arabs in Iraq. On a tactical level Iran should be no match but what to do after is a question the US has failed or refused to answer since the end of the Second World War.
What will an increase in price for gas at the pumps do for Trumps re-election chances?
@Gavin Tobin: Perhaps that’s why Bolton’s friends did it.
Peace full Trump ,a yes
Release strategic reserve….. We’ll be grand by tomorrow…..
Is it just me or is someone getting carried away a wee bit ?
There goes the element of surprise
have your say