Vinci Autoroutes announces a 20% discount on all its tolls in France. The mayor of Nice was quick to react to this measure by demanding the “outright” removal of the Saint-Isidore toll.
As summer and vacation season approaches, the Minister of Transport, Clรฉment Beaune, has asked highway companies for a discount. Last year, a 10% discount was granted to those who paid with vacation vouchers.
The minister requested at least the equivalent, as inflation severely impacts French households. The call was heard by Vinci Autoroutes. Starting in mid-June, the company should lower its toll rates, as it stated on Wednesday, June 7, on TF1.
Christian Estrosi for the removal of the Saint-Isidore toll
However, the news does not please Christian Estrosi , who reiterates his demand to remove the Saint-Isidore toll, located on the A8 highway, east of the city. The mayor of Nice presents not only economic reasons but primarily ecological arguments. “It is the outright removal of the Saint-Isidore toll that we are demanding here in #Nice06 and not a conditional tariff reduction after years of successive increases,” he shares on his Twitter account.
His request is not new. The Nice mayor has long advocated for the idea that all users should be able to bypass Nice for free. In September 2022, he had raised this issue with the Ministers of Energy Transition and Ecological Transition, Agnรจs Pannier-Runacher and Christophe Bรฉchu.
AtmoSud conducted a study on the impact of removing the Saint-Isidore toll on the air quality for residents and inhabitants of the city of Nice. What would happen if it were removed? Published on June 1, 2022, it reveals that within a one-kilometer zone around the tolls, there would be a 14% reduction in carbon emissions, as well as a 56% reduction in fine particles, and a 20% reduction in nitrogen dioxides. However, “on the rest of the highway network and its entries, the increase in traffic would lead to an increase in emissions, potentially impacting the 16,000 inhabitants living nearby.
A 20% reduction only under certain conditions
Unfortunately, the discount is not intended for all users. As in 2022, it concerns vacation voucher users. In principle, they will be able to credit an amount ranging from 20 to 250 euros on their electronic toll badge between June 15 and July 31. Anyone funding their subscription in this manner within these given dates will therefore receive a 20% addition of the amount credited from Vinci Autoroutes.
“The amount credited by VINCI Autoroutes can be used at any time, this summer or later, on all highways in France“, specifies the company.
