Zurich to open drive-in sex boxes

[itshappening]

They're moving to licensing prostitution in a specific area and collecting a levy from the hookers:

--

Zurich to open drive-in sex boxes
The Swiss city of Zurich is to open drive-in sex boxes in an attempt to rid the town of street prostitution.

Zurich council has approved a plan to build the boxes, which will, it hopes, provide a discreet location for prostitutes and their clients to conduct business when they open in August next year.

Located in an industrial area of the city, the row of garage-like boxes will have roofs and walls for privacy, and easy access for cars. The council estimates that around 30 prostitutes will meet clients at the site of the boxes, and use the drive-in slots on a first-come-first-served basis.

"The big difference is that until now prostitution has been in the public space," Michael Herzig, from Zurich's social welfare department, told Swiss Radio. "Now we are going to change this, move it from the street to a private space in an old industrial area, which belongs to the city. This gives us the possibility to define the rules of prostitution in this area."

The opening of the sex boxes will coincide with a major reform of prostitution laws in the Swiss city. Prostitution will be outlawed in certain areas of Zurich where it has taken grip, and led to local complaints about women being harassed on the streets and the activities of pimps.

The prostitutes who use the sex boxes will also have to take out medical insurance and buy a £26 licence in order to ply their trade. On top of that they will also have to feed five Swiss francs, about £3.30, into a roadside ticket machine each night when they clock on.



Mr Herzig said the attractions of the sex boxes for prostitutes will outweigh their rather dour industrial location, which lies just a stone's throw from a major rail depot.

"The women will be better protected from attack, and it will also mean better business for them," he explained. "With the women right by the sex boxes there is no 'travel time' so they can deal with more customers. It's a better business model than standing on the street." The council also believes that the privacy afforded by both the boxes and their location should appeal to clients eager to preserved their anonymity.

But one problem standing in the way of the sex boxes is telling the prostitutes about them and their advantages. Many of the women working the streets of Zurich are foreigners who speak only a little German, and may be unaware of the approaching changes to their working lives.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/9708726/Zurich-to-open-drive-in-sex-boxes.html

[dannno]

Yeeeeeyyy... Who is going to maintain and clean these 'boxes' ??

Sounds like a public commons that I don't think I'd want to be a part of.

[itshappening]

I'm sure the city will employ someone to do that and use the money from the levy.

Nice job lol :)

[AGRP]

Sex box aka a bedroom? lol? Is this how they plan to make money from prostitution?

[itshappening]

Sex box aka a bedroom? lol? Is this how they plan to make money from prostitution?

They will be like motel rooms I suspect.

[Zippyjuan]

ABC is calling them "booths"-
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/11/drive-in-sex-booths-to-open-in-zurich/

Prostitutes in Zurich will be able to conduct business in drive-in sex booths beginning next year in a move that officials in the Swiss city hope will help make the sex industry safer and more regulated.

Earlier this year, voters in Zurich passed a referendum to approve construction of the sex booths on the outskirts of the city, which will provide private accommodations for approximately 30 prostitutes and their customers.

When the booths open in August 2012, prostitution will be banned in certain parts of the city and confined to the booths and two other zones, according to a news release on the Zurich Social Welfare Department’s website.

“The big difference is that until now prostitution is in a public space,” Michael Herzig, spokesperson for the department, told World Radio Switzerland. “Now we are going to change this, transfer it from the street, from a public to a private space to an old industrial area which belongs to the city, that give us the possibility to define the rules of prostitution in this space.”

The booths will be outfitted with parking spaces, alarm buttons and an on-site counselor, English language Swiss news site The Local reported last year when the publicly funded measure was being discussed.

Beginning in January, sex workers will also have to apply for a license, register with a health insurer and purchase a ticket each night for approximately $5 before they begin soliciting customers.

Officials from the Social Welfare Department said the plan is “progressing” and ready to enter into full-force in the new year.


RT's take:
http://rt.com/art-and-culture/news/prostitute-streetwalker-zurich-boxes-337/

Prostitutes in Switzerland will be soon boxed in. The decision was unanimously taken by residents of Zurich, who voted in a referendum to create special “boxes” where streetwalkers will be able to hook up with clients in the outskirts of the city.

*Set to be constructed by 2013, the new site will welcome guests from 7pm to 5am. It will be designed to remind of a series of private garages where call girls will be able to “park” with their clients in cars.

Prostitution is legal in Switzerland. The proposed area will, however, get rid of Zurich's Sihlquai area, where some 60 streetwalkers currently work.

It will cost the authorities about US$2.6 million to create the “pleasure boxes” in Switzerland’s largest city. Annual expenses, estimated to cover the functioning of the site fitted with showers and toilets, could reach up to $300,000.

Sex workers will be able to consult a gynecologist available on site in case of medical problems, as well as turn to volunteers from a women's group for advice.

[FindLiberty]

I want in!

I passed up on digital radio services long before it went public in the back in the early 80's...

I passed up when Red Box was first looking for machine buyers / account-territory managers...

Hell no... I’m not gonna’ let this one slip by me too, it will be like gold.

I intend to personally perform frequent QC tests to insure that MY Drive-In Sex Boxes are the very best in town! Privacy is triple guaranteed, unless you OWE me something in return.

If fact, the competition will be professionally discouraged from setting foot on MY franchise area and permanently prevented from ever putting any foot down, ever again.

Any Questions? Just look for me. I'm always nearby to protect my boxes! (I'm the tall fat guy in the long coat with fluffy fur-like boa, sunglasses, hat and driving the huge Cadillac with the gaudy gold trim.)


(p.s. LEOs are always taken care of, in fact they always come first! ..unless a politician needs special services followed by an extra thorough disinfection treatment.)

[puppetmaster]

They're moving to licensing prostitution in a specific area and collecting a levy from the hookers:

--

Zurich to open drive-in sex boxes
The Swiss city of Zurich is to open drive-in sex boxes in an attempt to rid the town of street prostitution.

Zurich council has approved a plan to build the boxes, which will, it hopes, provide a discreet location for prostitutes and their clients to conduct business when they open in August next year.

Located in an industrial area of the city, the row of garage-like boxes will have roofs and walls for privacy, and easy access for cars. The council estimates that around 30 prostitutes will meet clients at the site of the boxes, and use the drive-in slots on a first-come-first-served basis.

"The big difference is that until now prostitution has been in the public space," Michael Herzig, from Zurich's social welfare department, told Swiss Radio. "Now we are going to change this, move it from the street to a private space in an old industrial area, which belongs to the city. This gives us the possibility to define the rules of prostitution in this area."

The opening of the sex boxes will coincide with a major reform of prostitution laws in the Swiss city. Prostitution will be outlawed in certain areas of Zurich where it has taken grip, and led to local complaints about women being harassed on the streets and the activities of pimps.

The prostitutes who use the sex boxes will also have to take out medical insurance and buy a £26 licence in order to ply their trade. On top of that they will also have to feed five Swiss francs, about £3.30, into a roadside ticket machine each night when they clock on.



Mr Herzig said the attractions of the sex boxes for prostitutes will outweigh their rather dour industrial location, which lies just a stone's throw from a major rail depot.

"The women will be better protected from attack, and it will also mean better business for them," he explained. "With the women right by the sex boxes there is no 'travel time' so they can deal with more customers. It's a better business model than standing on the street." The council also believes that the privacy afforded by both the boxes and their location should appeal to clients eager to preserved their anonymity.

But one problem standing in the way of the sex boxes is telling the prostitutes about them and their advantages. Many of the women working the streets of Zurich are foreigners who speak only a little German, and may be unaware of the approaching changes to their working lives.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/9708726/Zurich-to-open-drive-in-sex-boxes.html

hmm....lol

[parocks]

drive in sex boxes is a good name for a band, and if the members of the band actually worked in the sex boxes, and promoted themselves well, making it known where they will be performing sex acts, people would listen to that. People might prefer all terrible pop stars be ones that you can have sex with. People enthusiastic about their trip to Zurich to have sex with the pop stars would buy those records, download those videos, or a pay site, itunes money, you know getting psyched. It's really an easy project to accomplish. Someone in Zurich could do this.

[idiom]

Sounds like a public commons that I don't think I'd want to be a part of.

Thanks for ruining the term public commons forever.

[opal]

*Set to be constructed by 2013, the new site will welcome guests from 7pm to 5am. It will be designed to remind of a series of private garages where call girls will be able to “park” with their clients in cars.

kinda messes with the whole *nooner* thing eh?

also sounds like these will pretty much be girls standing in a garage instead of on the street .. all set to get in someone's car.. no bedroom involved

[fisharmor]

Didn't they learn their lesson with Needle Park?

Jeebus, if there's one thing I've learned about Switzerland with this story, it's that it's off the list.
If I emigrated there, I'd get shoved in a box and filed away in a program designed to deal with immigrants.

Benevolent dictatorship might be better than tyranny, but in my opinion, not much.

[tangent4ronpaul]

hmmm....

This "facility" will cost millions to build.

They will charge prostitutes $5 a day to work there, bringing in $54,750 dollars a year. It will cost $300,000 a year to operate.

There are currently ~60 prostitutes in the city and enough business to keep them employed. This facility will allow 30 prostitutes to work at any one time.

People without cars will not be able to get laid.

What could possibly go wrong??? :rolleyes:



ps: the really depressing part of all this is that Switzerland whips our ass when it comes to math scores... Whoda thunk...

-t

[heavenlyboy34]

hmmm....

This "facility" will cost millions to build.

They will charge prostitutes $5 a day to work there, bringing in $54,750 dollars a year. It will cost $300,000 a year to operate.

There are currently ~60 prostitutes in the city and enough business to keep them employed. This facility will allow 30 prostitutes to work at any one time.

People without cars will not be able to get laid.

What could possibly go wrong??? :rolleyes:



ps: the really depressing part of all this is that Switzerland whips our ass when it comes to math scores... Whoda thunk...

-t
I doubt there's a math requirement to be a politician there. Generally, the more you can fudge numbers the better you do with boobus, no matter where in the world you try it. ;):D

[tangent4ronpaul]

It was voted in by the general public.

Unlike here, the general public votes on most things - down to if they should build a playground in their local park.

-t

[presence]

They will be like motel rooms I suspect.


Tha'ts not what i"m getting out of it... I'm sense more like a car wash. Stay in your vehicle situation.

[opal]

looks like a backdoor method to sell more stationwagons/vans

ever seen some of those tiny European cars?

[Pericles]

It was voted in by the general public.

Unlike here, the general public votes on most things - down to if they should build a playground in their local park.

-t

That they do, which results in a form of tyranny of the majority that leads to a more restrictive society than the US Constitution was designed to protect.

[tangent4ronpaul]

There are advantages too. They are largely free from the tyranny of the city/county council and land developer bribes. You can own some pretty heavy ordnance there, as an individual and if you are tall enough to sit at a bar, you can drink. Just as a few examples.

The Swiss are also very involved in politics and aware of what's going on in their country. It's a frequent topic of conversation.

-t

[fisharmor]

looks like a backdoor method to sell more stationwagons/vans

ever seen some of those tiny European cars?

Sounds like it's discriminatory against big prostitutes.
Some forum members here has teh sad now.

[parocks]

*Set to be constructed by 2013, the new site will welcome guests from 7pm to 5am. It will be designed to remind of a series of private garages where call girls will be able to “park” with their clients in cars.

kinda messes with the whole *nooner* thing eh?

also sounds like these will pretty much be girls standing in a garage instead of on the street .. all set to get in someone's car.. no bedroom involved


Yeah, not expensive.

[parocks]

Didn't they learn their lesson with Needle Park?

Jeebus, if there's one thing I've learned about Switzerland with this story, it's that it's off the list.
If I emigrated there, I'd get shoved in a box and filed away in a program designed to deal with immigrants.

Benevolent dictatorship might be better than tyranny, but in my opinion, not much.

Isn't prostitution illegal in the US? And this is worse exactly how?

[parocks]

There are advantages too. They are largely free from the tyranny of the city/county council and land developer bribes. You can own some pretty heavy ordnance there, as an individual and if you are tall enough to sit at a bar, you can drink. Just as a few examples.

The Swiss are also very involved in politics and aware of what's going on in their country. It's a frequent topic of conversation.

-t

The marijuana laws in Switzerland, the last time I was there, were county by county (or canton by canton). In some counties, they openly sold it as incense. It wasn't behind the glass, protected as in Amsterdam, Tilburg, Ede, and if my memory is correct, the Switzerland stuff was better/cheaper, based on what other people said. In the NL, it was sold in specialty stores "coffee shops", it Switzerland, discreetly, in regular stores. (Apparently that has changed).

[dannno]

Isn't prostitution illegal in the US? And this is worse exactly how?

Well making something semi-legal, but only in small specified "zones" can create havens for that type of activity. You get a bunch of "those" kind of people all together in one area and I guess that could be potentially worse than having them all spread out.

I have to think that the semi-legal option is still better from a moral standpoint because you aren't threatening to imprison innocent people, but it will still have its negative consequences. That's why total legalization and privatization would be much better. You can spread it out a bit more and still have the safety mechanisms in place.

[dannno]

//

[parocks]

Well making something semi-legal, but only in small specified "zones" can create havens for that type of activity. You get a bunch of "those" kind of people all together in one area and I guess that could be potentially worse than having them all spread out.

I have to think that the semi-legal option is still better from a moral standpoint because you aren't threatening to imprison innocent people, but it will still have its negative consequences. That's why total legalization and privatization would be much better. You can spread it out a bit more and still have the safety mechanisms in place.

I don't know. Seems to be more liberty vs less liberty. You wouldn't want marijuana legalized if it was treated like tobacco or beer, only if it's treated like tomatoes or corn? There seem to be 2 things at work, one, whether the thing should be legal or not (libertarians say yes, typically to these things, as opposed to Ron Paul supporters, who take the approach that it should be up to the states to decide, not fedgov), or whether the government is typically good at working out the details of these things, again, libertarians and Ron Paul supporters typically agree that gov isn't particularly good at these things. I think the traveling celebrity hooker bus would be popular.