A truth all too well known by everyone in Nice. Who hasn’t spent 20 minutes, or sometimes more, looking for a parking spot in Nice? The figures are telling: 25% of vehicles in the city are searching for a place to park. This leads to illegal parking such as double parking, driving in bus lanes, and increased pollution (80% of noise pollution in the city is due to traffic), … Thus, to put an end to this reality, the mayor of Nice wants to tackle the problem starting with a pilot program.
The Plan
It will first be implemented for Zone 2 starting in April and will last for about two months. The so-called “Marshall” zone is defined by Boulevard Dubouchage, avenues St Jean-Baptiste and Félix Faure, Boulevard Carabacel, and Avenue Jean Médecin. It is within this perimeter that “Resident” parking will be established. In “residential streets,” residents will be able to park in the same spot for 24 hours, and in “commercial streets,” they will be able to take advantage of their status from 6 PM to 9 AM, as well as all day on Sundays and public holidays. To encourage them to use this new parking mode, a specific rate has been set. Instead of paying 1.30 euros per hour (normal rate), residents will pay 1.50 euros per day. And 13 euros bi-weekly instead of 171.60 euros (normal rate). One of the goals, explains Christian Estrosi, is to make Nice a “Major Green City of the Mediterranean,” in accordance with the recommendations of the Grenelle Environment Round Table. Resident parking is thus intended to reduce car traffic and thus greenhouse gas emissions, allow city center residents to park closer to their homes, encourage residents to use less polluting modes of transportation (buses, trams, bicycles, …) but also to reduce the permanent occupation of public space by “static” cars. And for that, on April 3rd, a car wreck removal service on demand will be voted on.
To Benefit
Soon, residents of Zone 2 will receive a letter detailing the steps to follow to qualify. To benefit from the resident status in Zone 2, one simply needs to live in the streets or parts of streets with paid parking or in streets where parking on the roadway is not authorized. Residents will therefore have a badge that grants them access to the special tariff conditions. However, only one badge will be issued per household.
What About Others?
Not everything is resolved yet. The lack of parking spaces in Nice is evident, first of all for instance, for Nice residents who work hours incompatible with vehicle rotation times. They will still have difficulty finding “free” spots. Then, for those who do not live downtown and wish to go there, they will need to be patient. The Line 2 tram is scheduled for 2013. It will allow the transportation of an additional 120,000 passengers to the downtown shops. This should relieve congestion on the Promenade des Anglais. But for now, the experiment with Resident Parking begins! In just over two months, the results will be evaluated. It remains to be seen if it will be a success. If so, the scheme will be extended to other zones in Nice.
