I spent last week in Zermatt with the kids, Mathilde and some friends. I'm lucky enough a close school friend of mine has a flat over there. This little swiss town is amazingly beautiful. Constantly dominated by the Matterhorn.
I've been there already so I knew cars were banned; which is typically the kind of policy I'd dream were implemented somewhere else. I didn't remember so many mini buses though but to be fair: their dimensions and low speed still make you feel safe. More importantly, kids ran and played wildly. Which wasn't the case when we brought them to Les Saisies, another town in the french alps where cars were driving everywhere.
This video's great:
While walking over there I thought about the current discussion in France around school uniforms. President Emmanuel Macron himself justified it to make education "more equal and orderly". Then I wondered: instead of imposing anything on kids [easy tactic to show off your muscles and act strong], why not experimenting the same thing with adults first? What about 'car uniforms'? Why not banning everything else in city centers except STIMBO electric mini buses?
Kids are sponges. They observe and look at everything adults are doing and learn. When [and if] they laugh at each other at school because of their clothes, are they just imitating adults behaving the same way with their cars?
There is no doubt Zermatters are playing the status game with other things but how refreshing it was to walk around town and enjoy streets "more equal and orderly".