“I wish to have this operation funded up to 50% by various institutional partners. If the General Council increases its subsidy from 10% for line 1 to 25% for the second, I am waiting for the response from the Regional Council which I have personally addressed regarding this project.” A little nod to the Region and its President Michel Vauzelle, along with the announcement of an agreement in principle with its Vice-President from Nice and leader of the opposition, Patrick Allemand. “But beyond line 2, we want to extend line 1 to reach the Pasteur Hospital, which will, in a few years, become the first hospital of the 21st century. Ariane and La Trinité will also be served, and, moreover, we will regulate the entry of visitors coming into Nice from the east.” Curtailing the flow of external vehicles by multiplying solutions such as the tram-train, deterrent parking lots, or bus stations in the east and west is the main objective of the proposals from the CANCA majority. The total cost of extending line 1 and designing line 2 will amount to €400 million, with a saving of 15% that could be used for the beautification of the Promenade des Anglais.
“We did not want to plunge the city back into 5 years of construction. The Promenade des Anglais offers many advantages: few shops, fewer residents, no buses on dedicated lanes, less cabling… We want to connect Saint Augustin and Place Masséna within 25 minutes and thus solve the problem of vehicles coming from the east of the city.” Concerning the tramway line connecting the port, the position is clear with service to Place Garibaldi located just a few hundred meters from the port of Nice. “We no longer want major works in the city center of Nice. Go ask the merchants on Avenue de la République what the tramway in Nice cost them and what it brings them today.” The time for useful works has come in these times of sustainable development, and a new topic of conversation and consultation was born on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of CANCA on the eve of a Community Council. This should be as calm as the lively Nice City Council meeting on Friday.
Therefore, tramway line 2 could follow the great blue, and while the project seems to gather many positive points, the first differences of opinion should not take long to appear. Nonetheless, the task will be challenging for future opponents of the new project, which should be listed in the “hotte des 100 jours” (100-day agenda) to be revealed next week by Christian Estrosi.
