The election campaign is in full swing and Jacques Peyrat has spoken about the second part of his program: The topics of interest were transport, roads, traffic, and parking. In other words, in a single word, mobility, a sine qua non condition for the attractiveness of a territory. The objective? To give the economy of Nice a boost beyond just tourism.
Everyone knows that Jacques Peyrat is allergic to everything Christian Estrosi has accomplished during his term and that he considers the metropolis as just a mere photocopy of his electoral district.
It’s important because that’s where it all begins: “A narrow vision of departmental infrastructure confined to simply managing the small interests of the shop: the mayor of Nice-metropolis president and his henchmen, the mayors of the villages in the hinterlands.”
Some proposals from the former mayor are nonetheless dizzying: “Relocation of the airport to Le Luc (in the Var), due to lack of space capacity to become a hub (25 million passengers/year against almost 12 currently) within a few years, doubling of the A8 and at least the La Turbie-Sophia Antipolis part, expansion of Nice’s port to accommodate freight and cruise ships or its relocation to Carras, or even to Cagnes with the construction of a breakwater like in Monaco.”
It is quite clear that the implementation of these proposals would change the territory’s landscape.
Regarding urban transport, it has long been known that Jacques Peyrat’s option is a surface tram, motivated by the difference in construction costs and the risks of building subsidence due to water runoff from the hills. However, his proposal encompasses a much larger area than the one in the pre-construction phase (Port-Airport) and extends to an axis, La Trinitรฉ-Sophia Antipolis. Yet another grand proposition.
For the railway sector, Jacques Peyrat revisits history: “The decision for a high-speed line had been made, but the Gaudin-Falco-Estrosi alliance (at the time the first vice-president of the General Council), who chose the line of the metropolises and the disproportionate increase in costs, weighed down the operation.” However, the file must be reopened, even though the former mayor is well aware of the current challenges.
Concerning urban traffic, an urgent requirement arises: The construction of a tunnel to connect the exit of Mathis road to the highway.
Otherwise, the assessment is simple: traffic is poor, and it’s about time to review the traffic flows after the tramway line 1 has substantially changed the situation: more than 112,000 travelers/day versus the 40,000 initially estimated. This revision should be accompanied by a plan for about 3,000 underground parking spaces. Some sites have been considered: Wilson, Notre Dame, and Jeanne d’Arc.
Stay tuned for the next episode…
