Pop star threatens to paralyze the city This is how uncertain it is to sit in Taylor Swift's exclusion zone as a Zurich resident
Residents of the Letzigrund Stadium fear drastic closures during Taylor Swift's concerts on July 9 and 10. The police are reassuring, but don't know exactly what Zurich will be facing.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On July 9 and 10, Taylor Swift will be playing at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich.
- An unknown number of 45,000 concert-goers and fans without tickets could paralyze traffic in the surrounding districts.
- However, local residents fear equally rigorous closures by the police.
- The police emphasize that there will only be closures if there are large gatherings of people. Residents will always be allowed in and out of the exclusion zone.
When Taylor Swift gives a concert, it's not just her and her 1000-strong event team. It's not just the 45,000 lucky people who managed to get a ticket twice who flock to the Letzigrund. Sooner or later, those Swifties who are following their idol will also show up, even if they don't have a concert ticket. How many there will be is the big question.
It could be that the Swifties make the pilgrimage to Zurich in such large numbers that they paralyze traffic near the Letzigrund Stadium. The aim of a wide-ranging police operation in a radius of more than one kilometer around the stadium is to prevent this.
After the city police published the plan for the exclusion zone on Thursday, some residents fear that their freedom of movement will suffer anyway, whether due to crowds of concert-goers and fencing guests or due to a large-scale and rigorous deployment plan by the city police.
City police relativize restricted zone
Before the concerts at Letzigrund, the organizers invite local residents to an information aperitif. This usually involves facts and figures about the show and, at most, isolated traffic obstructions caused by trucks driving to and from the venue.
On the Thursday evening before the two Taylor Swift concerts, the tension is somewhat greater than usual. In the afternoon, the "huge exclusion zone" made the rounds in the online media. Its size is indeed impressive. It measures 1.3 kilometers at its longest point and 1.1 kilometers at its widest.
Unlike at "normal" concerts such as those by AC/DC, Büezer Buebe or The Rolling Stones, a representative of the city police is also present. She explains what the exclusion zone is all about. It is not a restricted zone as long as there are not too many people in it.
"The exclusion zone is there to ensure safety around the stadium when there are large numbers of people," Michael Walker, spokesperson for the city police, adds in response to a blue News inquiry. "There is a lockdown concept for every football match at Letzigrund. But as long as there aren't that many people in the vicinity of the stadium, there won't be a lockdown."
This will also be the case in the coming days. Unless the Swifties flock to Albisrieden in the numbers feared.
The concerns of motorists and cyclists
Drivers have the greatest fears. They fear not being able to get to work or home on time. The police officer assures residents that they will be let through whenever possible. "They may have to wait ten minutes before they can pass."
Michael Walker admits that a driving ban could be imposed under certain circumstances, "but only if there are so many people in the area that you can't get through by car anyway."
One resident thinks that the city should offer a replacement for the blue zone parking spaces that have been removed. The policewoman points out to him that there are fewer spaces than parking permits for the blue zone anyway.
Citing another police spokesperson, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper writes that the driving ban also applies to bicycles. Walker clarifies: "As a resident, you will always be able to take your bike with you. If driving is prohibited, you have to push it, but then it's hardly possible to ride anyway."
Another complains that people then pee in his garden again. But there are also visitors to the information event who take the arrival of the Swift hype in Albisrieden in their stride and with humor.
There is no ID requirement
Another question is whether the people who live between Albisriederplatz and Kappeli - and there are quite a few of them - now have to make sure they always have their ID with them to identify themselves as residents of the neighborhood. "There is no obligation to carry ID in Switzerland and this will not change during these two concerts," corrects Walker. However, if necessary, the officials will ask for your name and address and check this information.
So for the time being, things are not as dramatic as the restricted zone marked in red on the city map would have you believe. If only it weren't for the unpredictable Swifties. "We don't know how many are coming and where they are. That's why we can't say today if, when and where the area will be closed," says the Stapo representative again and again.
In order to get an idea, police officers have visited several concerts in other European cities, she says in conversation with a local resident. The city police do not reveal what they found out there.
However, their representative at the residents' event does let on: This was by far the largest police operation in connection with a concert event at Letzigrund. Walker agrees the following day, but also says: "It's the biggest operation in connection with a concert. The matches at the 2008 European Football Championship were even bigger for the police."
Little room for onlookers
The European Championships were held in Zurich 16 years ago. But the people in Albisrieden and Altstetten want to know what will happen next week, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the superstar sings at Letzigrund. The key dates are now clear. Which measures are actually implemented depends on the Swifties traveling to Zurich. "There will be closures, but they may be shorter than announced," says Walker reassuringly.
The sections of Herdernstrasse and Baslerstrasse directly adjacent to the stadium will definitely be closed. Only ticket holders will be able to enter this zone, in contrast to the other concerts, during which hundreds to a few thousand spectators will be able to listen to the show from outside.
This is also due to the fact that the Swifties are marching without tickets. If tens of thousands of them actually flocked to the Letzigrund, there would be a risk that the emergency exits would be blocked.
One thing is certain: after Taylor Swift's second concert, the Letzigrund will be closed for the summer. The next entry is July 27: The Grasshoppers play against FC Luzern. A bold prediction: local residents will hardly notice.
