For Christine Arnautu, the traffic policy pursued by the outgoing mayor is not heading in the right direction: “We will not build the city of the 21st century against motorists. Politicians who have been enamored by the narrative of administrators dreaming from afar of a car-free, parking-free, entirely pedestrian city are destroying city centers and commerce.”
Her approach recommends measures opposite to those adopted so far: “Pedestrianizing traffic routes should not be the rule, it should remain the exception. We must build a traffic plan, a parking plan respectful of cars, that is, realistic.”
The path is that of free-flowing traffic accompanied by an effective parking plan: “To save the city center, we must free up spaces: parking spaces, spaces on public roads… This is expected by local residents and businesses. It is a necessity for the quality of life, economic vitality, and also air quality, which suffers from poor parking conditions and thus from traffic issues in our city.”
To reform transportation in Nice, it is essential – according to the far-right candidate – that the Tramway Line 2, which will become the backbone of the future traffic axis, allows all colinear traffic to be channeled. Two parking lots, one located at the Magnan intersection (placed under the fire station) and the other at the Saint-Augustin intermodal station, will be able to intercept it.
The announcement by Christian Estrosi of the direct management of parking is not a solution; it is even dangerous because it threatens the future of parking construction in Nice, which should be funded by SEMIACS profits.
On the contrary, Marie-Christine Arnautu does not hold back her concerns: “Given the financial situation of the city and the metropolis, everyone understands that with this program, there will be no new parking construction for the next six years, and the money from Semiacs will be used to finance the debt.”
