Government elections BS A look back at the term of office of Basel's Director of Construction Esther Keller
On October 20, the canton of Basel-Stadt will hold general elections for the new government. In a loose series, the Keystone-SDA news agency reviews the most important dossiers of the incumbent government councillors. Part 4: Building and Transport Director Esther Keller (GLP).
Esther Keller (GLP)
Before her political career, Esther Keller, now 39, was known as a journalist and presenter on the television station Telebasel. She then went on to work as a Novartis media spokesperson, author and independent communications consultant. After just one and a half years in the Grand Council, the political high-flyer became the first Green Liberal to be elected to the Basel executive. She took over the Department of Construction and Transport (BVD), which had previously been in SP hands for 24 years with Hans-Peter Wessels and Barbara Schneider. These dossiers - without claiming to be exhaustive - have shaped Keller's work over the past four years:
UKBB parking: Right at the start of her term of office, Keller announced a halt to the demand for a parking lot for the University Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB) under the Tschudimatte. There had already been opposition from the neighborhood to this project under the park and a large number of objections had been received. The Grand Council later also put a stop to the project. Last year, it passed a motion for the second time to stop underground buildings under green zones. This led to criticism from the Basel government, which considers a new parking lot to be urgent. However, Keller declared his willingness to look for replacement areas for the UKBB car park.
Urban climate: One of her priorities is the urban climate concept, which she presented in her first year in office. This aims to counteract heat stress in the districts by 2030 and beyond - for example with new green spaces, unsealing and the retention of rainwater. The latter, known as the sponge city principle, is currently being applied on the Volta Nord development site in the St. Johann district.
In connection with this issue, Keller scored a victory at the ballot box in November 2023. Voters rejected the two urban climate initiatives, which the government felt went too far. However, Keller's party, the GLP, was subsequently able to reintroduce the counter-proposals of the Environment, Transport and Energy Commission, which had been rejected in parliament, as motions,
Heat protection: Keller's short-term measures for the urban climate caused heated council debates and even carnival scenes. It all started with plant pots on the Dreirosenbrücke bridge in the summer of 2023, which were later also used with associated benches in Freie Strasse. At the moment, Vogesenplatz is also being greened at the request of the neighborhood - only with pots on the square itself due to substructures, but with tree plantings on the edges.
Keller also applied to parliament for a heat protection package costing CHF 9.4 million. This provides for even more potted trees, mobile plant pergolas, green islands, spray mist evaporators and sunshades in the city. Individual members of the Grand Council from the left and right described such measures as a drop in the ocean. Nevertheless, the majority of parliament backed these heat protection measures and approved this issue in April 2024.
Leisure gardens: In her second year in office, Keller suffered a defeat at the ballot box. In September 2022, voters rejected the partial revision of the Leisure Gardens Act. Among other things, this would have made it possible for the areas to be accessible to the public. The vote was held because the SVP and Basta took the referendum. In addition, some leisure garden tenants campaigned against the bill, while most other parties did not conduct a major referendum campaign despite their approval.
Green asphalt: Under Keller's leadership, a new road surface was used at the BVD. With the addition of biochar, this binds more CO2 than its production causes. The so-called green asphalt was used for the first time in part of the St. Alban suburb, for example. Keller described this as an important step towards climate-friendly road construction. The green asphalt was developed by the Civil Engineering Office and the energy supplier IWB in collaboration with the Viatec Basel Institute.
Bike rental: One of Keller's transport policy goals was the expansion of sharing systems. One such bike rental scheme was launched in the city in 2021. The canton supported the rental system with a one-off grant of CHF 2.1 million from the commuter fund. Initially, the service was not yet widely used. At the end of 2022, around 15 trips were made per day. However, despite criticism from the middle classes, the Grand Council decided by a majority to continue the project. The rental system expanded to Germany and France this year. The provider "Velospot Basel" now also provides bikes and e-bikes in Hüningen and Weil am Rhein.
Rhine tunnel: During the legislative period, Keller repeatedly had to defend the billion-euro Rhine Tunnel project against its critics. For example, when she announced in 2022 that the Dreirosenanlage would have to be temporarily reduced in size during the ten-year construction period of the tunnel. According to the Federal Roads Office (Astra), construction work on the Rhine tunnel for the A2 freeway is not due to start until 2029 at the earliest. However, the canton has announced that it will make replacement spaces available during this time.
Parking permits: Anyone with a large car will have to dig deeper into their pockets in Basel in future. This decision by Keller's department caused quite a stir: As of January 1, 2025, parking permit fees will increase for larger vehicles. With this decision, Basel is the first city in Switzerland to introduce staggered fees according to car length. For vehicles longer than 4.90 meters, the parking card will now cost CHF 512. In the medium term, parking fees are to be raised to the level of comparable cities. Keller justified the decision with the aim of shifting parked cars to underground garages and implementing this in accordance with the will of parliament.
Port railroad: Last year, Keller, together with Economic Director Kaspar Sutter and Finance Director Tanja Soland, announced that the port railroad was to be relocated further north. The tracks south of the meadow will be removed in order to create new living space and green areas in this part of the Klybeck quarter. The project will cost CHF 275 million. In June, the Grand Council almost unanimously approved an initial sum of CHF 36 million for the planning.
