A broad public consultation will take place from January 15 to February 28, 2007, to discuss the various possible routes for the tramway. It will be chaired by Louis Nรจgre, a specialist in territorial planning, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, and first vice-president of the Nice Cรดte d’Azur urban community. This operation, as mandated by urban planning codes, was presented yesterday morning by Jacques Peyrat, president of the urban community, at its headquarters. It concerns the extension of line 1 to La Trinitรฉ, via Pasteur Hospital and Ariane, as well as the route of line 2 towards Cagnes-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The future line towards the Var plain is also involved: “The development of the Var plain has become a priority. It is one of the four major national operations desired by the State and has been planned for a long time. More precisely, since the urban project vote in 2001,” emphasizes the senator-mayor of Nice.
This consultation will take place using three information methods. Firstly, it will consist of six public meetings in the main municipalities visited by the “tram”: Nice (January 22 and 31, as well as February 12), Cagnes-sur-Mer (January 23), Saint-Laurent-du-Var (February 8), and finally La Trinitรฉ (February 21).
In parallel, ten permanent public exhibitions will be set up in the tourist offices of the aforementioned cities, seven of which are in Nice alone. A website, operational in 8 days, has been created in the same participatory spirit, to reach as many citizens as possible (agglonice.fr): “This consultation must truly be a consultation,” explains the president of the urban community.
The stakes are indeed significant. The construction of the tramway is currently the largest project at the community and departmental levels. Jacques Peyrat explains this choice: “It is a political priority of the Nice Cรดte d’Azur agglomeration to solve the problem of transportation.” He adds: “At present, we are ruining our planet because of pollution, especially from cars with CO2 emissions. It’s time to act. If we had waited, it would have been dramatic.”
The objectives are multiple and integrated, despite some communication difficulties between the Region and the urban community. Firstly, to ensure a good east-west connection via the future line 2. The highest population density is located on this axis. The extension of line 1 to La Trinitรฉ also falls within this approach. This will allow it to eventually connect with line 2 and thereby serve the maximum number of people. Lastly, to support the National Interest Operation (OIN) with the view to redevelop the Var plain. There is also talk of connecting Sophia-Antipolis to Nice by tramway in the near future.
The next phase will take place in May 2007. A state review of all that has been gathered during the public meetings will occur. But the consultations will not stop there. They will continue until 2009. The final goal is to achieve 35 kilometers of tramway line by 2013. Lines 1 and 2 will then be completed, and the network will be 50% finished.
Quick reminder: Line 1, whose preliminary consultations took place in 2000, will open on September 30, 2007.
