If Robert Injey’s criticism is nothing more than an observation, the request he will present with his colleague Emmanuelle Gaziello at this Friday’s City Council should be classified as “bold”.
“One of the weaknesses of the stadium at the Plaine du Var is its accessibility. With my colleague Emmanuelle Gaziello, we have been pointing out this obvious fact for months, and once again on September 11. Christian Estrosi has taken on a heavy responsibility by postponing the completion of line 3 to 2018. Even if the schedule is accelerated, it will not be open for several years,” says Robert Injey, opposition councilor at Nice City and Metropolitan Council.
The proposed motion will notably request that the Mayor of Nice ensure that football and rugby matches take place on Sundays…
Has he never heard of the economic model of sports (with football and rugby at the forefront)? How can he think that the financial interests at stake (primarily TV rights) will adapt to a few traffic issues?
After this reality check, it must be acknowledged that the situation is still far from satisfactory, even though we are in a transitional period. It’s also a learning curve for spectators who have not yet fully understood, as is done in other major football cities, the benefits of using public transportation whenever possible.
There’s also a learning curve on the side of public services… Can someone explain to the Chemins de fer de Provence that the shuttle service cannot have 45-minute intervals, as happened last Saturday during the RC Toulon-ASM match on the Saint-Isidore-Nice line?
Finally, we should also take a more philosophical and pragmatic approach: Nowhere in the world is going to or returning from a stadium akin to going to a cinema session (where sometimes you also have to queue to get in).
But perhaps that’s also why people are so passionate about sports events, right?
