“It looks like a Christmas tree under my windows!” Since he moved to Thônex, Sasha* has suffered every evening from the nuisance caused by the lighting in the building opposite occupied by Rolex. “It is 40 m high and the facade is made of bay windows. When a floor lights up, it’s impressive.” The forty-year-old says he is surprised that the Canton is not more severe (read below) both to limit the inconvenience for residents and because of energy loss.
A surprise shared by Jean-Pierre. At 82, he sometimes gets up at night to go to the bathroom. In his apartment in Petit-Lancy, it is as clear as day. Blame it on the lighting from the beauty company across the street. The octogenarian has been fighting against this light pollution for years. “In 2010, we were asked to turn off the night light on the TV. And, meanwhile, these empty offices remained lit all night.”
At the time, the building was occupied by Procter & Gamble. Jean-Pierre wrote to the company. “It calmed down and then it started again.” The arrival of Coty in place of P&G did not solve the problem. Jean-Pierre took up his pen again to make himself heard. Again with mixed success. “In 2023, the Federal Council asked the population to save energy. I wrote a letter again accompanied by the directive,” explains this retired police officer. In vain.
In the fall of 2024, the octogenarian took advantage of a meeting of seniors organized by the municipality to plead his case. Response from the Municipality: we can’t do anything about it, it’s private. In December, Jean-Pierre crossed the road to resolve the problem directly. “I was told I wasn’t the only one complaining.” At Christmas, when evening comes, everything goes out. But the miracle did not last: “It started again Tuesday evening.”
“Five hours of ban is not enough!”
Geneva regulations provide that illuminated signs and lighting in non-residential buildings must be turned off between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. when the building’s activity has ceased. The Land Department receives approximately one complaint every two months. “We write each time for corrective action,” said the spokesperson, Pauline De Salis. Generally it works. We have not issued any fines at this stage.” The fact remains that in Sasha’s eyes, “5 hours of ban is too little!”
