Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Driving in Switzerland

... specially Touareg, Cayenne or other sorts of animals

be careful, in Switzerland cheese is not always cheese and cows are not always cows ...

I got stopped along with MMCs current MD by the police in Switzerland a few years ago in the aero and got a bo**ocking for driving at the speed limit. I guess they'd followed us for over 5 miles.

Threatened to take us to 'church' yes that's right to see the judge who'd confiscate our cars.

First time I've been stopped by for doing something right.

Two "Swiss" stories; both taking place when I was working at the Geneva Motorshow.
Firstly; we stayed just over the border in France (lovely), but each and every morning as we crossed into Switzerland, the border guard questioned us and checked our passports.

Secondly; the Swiss dealer took us for dinner. On returning to the car we had to cross the road: deserted, a good view for a kilometre each way. What did he do? Went to the pelican crossing, pressed the button and waited for the green man! We started to cross on red and he went beserk!

To the second one, I have not started doing that - honest

I love this country - and consider it my home - and the Swiss love their Morgans!

I spent 8 years working in Switzerland. Soon after I arrived, I was asked what I thought about the country. "Well" I said, "As an Englishman what strikes me most is that the public transport system is absolutely perfect"

"Wait until you've been here a while" came the response in all seriousness. "Sometimes the trains can be two or even three minutes late!"

One night in Zurich I was on a tram going over to visit a mate who lived near Letzigrund. The tram stopped on a bridge, and I could see some graffiti (there's loads of graffiti in Zurich, they don't see it as a problem) on the bridge parapet. Next to the international Anarchist symbol were painted the words "Retirement for all with Pension at 60".

First world problems, as they say :-)

Lets not forget the Swiss and their infernal Vignette. I usually drive through Switzerland a couple of times per year. Last year on the way back from the Concours d'elegance they pulled my mate and fined him 200 Swiss francs for not correctly having the vignette stuck to the windscreen. Not only that, the fine took an hour, meaning he missed his ferry.

In what way was it "not correctly stuck to the windscreen"?

The instructions are quite clear on the paper back of the Vignette. Given that it is valid for an entire year it is one of the cheapest road use charges in the world. You can spend much more in only one day in Italy or France.

Bottom of the screen by the tax disc - I was in a different car that didn't attract attention. I don't believe the instructions are in English either.

This vignette doesn't cover tunnels for such a one-way tax, another expensive hobby when racing through Switzerland. Luckily my Sanef tolling tag permits me to go cashless for such ventures. It supposedly works in a few parking stations too.

Coo. Well we got off lightly then. Our 2013 Vignette I'd just put under the parking ticket clip rather than sticking it to the screen itself (I thought I might use a different car on a subsequent trip). A swiss frontier police person noticed when my wife was on her way to collect a skiing guest from geneva airport. She got a telling off & was made to stick it on, but no hefty fine.

Sounds like one of my brother's stories. When he was in the army in Berlin with the Glorious Glosters (around the time the wall came down) some anarchist squatters were demonstrating and building barricades. To build said fortifications they were carrying what they could out of some empty buildings, but each time waiting obediently for the little green man to light up before crossing the road. It had the British squaddies in stitches.