A green tram car will be on display until August 7 (tramway exhibition extended until August 22, 2009), to visualize the impact of a tramway passing through the Promenade. Christian Estrosi, however, tries to reassure the citizens of Nice: “This is not the definitive color, not the definitive tramway, and it’s not necessarily where it will operate.” The only thing he is sure of is that nothing will disfigure the Promenade des Anglais. According to him, there will be no cables above the Promenade because the tram will be “electrically powered from the ground to avoid the installation of posts and overhead lines.” He also adds that the palm trees on the Promenade will not be destroyed, as some citizens feared. This initiative seems to satisfy the residents present during this showcase presentation.
Christian Estrosi doesnโt stop there, and to make the preservation measures for the Promenade des Anglais more tangible, he promises to “preserve and declare the central median and the vegetation of the Promenade as part of the heritage of Nice so that no future mayor can destroy them.”
This is also, according to him, a transportation line designed to improve the lives of citizens. “There are too many cars and road transports passing through the Promenade,” explained the Mayor of Nice. If the decision was made to approve the tramway on the Promenade des Anglais, the road would probably be reduced to two lanes instead of three to limit traffic and reduce pollution. The implementation of this Line 2 of the tramway would thus, according to the mayor, make the Promenade safer, improve air quality, and reduce noise. More to follow…