Anyone have an idea?
I occasionally use the running tracks at Utogrund and up near the Fifa headquarters. I was wondering.... no one ever bothers me and you see plenty of people running on the tracks.... but are the public officially allowed to use such tracks freely?
Yes, they're all available to use by the public. Sometimes an athletics club will have a meet there but then it's obvious it's off limits, otherwise go for it.
I really like the thinking behind this.
School outside sports facilities are usually open-access out of school hours too.
They do it in a few other European countries too and I always thought it was so wrong in the U.K. to ban access to school playing fields etc when exercise by kids is on the decrease and should be encouraged instead.
That's what the situation seems to be but I am asking if this is actually mandated somewhere, in Stadt Zurich rules?
If an athletic club is training there, does that really mean I have to stop? Do they pay for access?
Free use is to my knowledge not mandated, but nowhere is mandated that you have to pay to use it, which sort of equals.
It is a sportcomplex and athletic clubs can reserve it, but as far as I know those reservations are mainly outside public opening hours.
So if a club is just training you do not have to stop (unless you are outside opening hours), if they however reserved it than you have to leave.
EDIT: Yep, that's how it is.
If they're just training you can check with whoever looks in charge and ask them if you can keep running round the track. Usually (in my experience) they're fine with it and I just keep to the outside lane and allow myself to be overtaken by 9 year olds...
If it's an event, obviously you can't use it.
I've used the one up by Zollikon and the one up past Enge (Sihl-something or other) with no problems for years.
Never bothered to look for rules and regs - just talked with the people there.
Rules can differ per complex.
That's why I talk to people there.
Sometimes, even if there are rules, if you are the "disarming and slightly dotty foreigner", you can find a way past them.
Of course, but on the other hand if they send you off, that is just how it is. But politely asking and common sense may help a lot.
Interesting that every evening is by this definition "reserved for running clubs"
The one at Fluntern belongs to ASVZ and is AFIAK not public. https://asvz.ch/anlage/45575-sport-center-fluntern
Membership: https://asvz.ch/en/634-welcome-asvz#details1-fold1
Public 400m tracks
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ssd/de/...tathletik.html
Witikon 7–17
Utogrund 7–17:30
Sihlhölzli 7 - 22 except signal light is on.
Liguster 8–17
There are also tracks (Finnenbahn) in the woods: