After several movements along the coast, the mobile radar of the Promenade des Anglais has returned to its starting point, at number 105 of the avenue, near the Flots d’Azur hotel. Installed to monitor speeding in a sensitive area, it is part of a broader strategy to combat road insecurity in Nice.
The worksite radar of the Promenade des Anglais has returned to its original location. The prefecture repositioned it at 105 Promenade des Anglais, in the east-west direction, after being rotated for several weeks between different sites: Fabron, the Marcel-Kirchner square, and around the airport. The gray box now flashes head-on, on a stretch where the speed is still limited to 50 km/h.
This mobility is no coincidence. Since its installation in May, State services had announced that the device would be moved regularly to “trick regular users”. The aim is clear: to prevent drivers from getting accustomed to the device and maintain constant vigilance.
Nearly 175,000 vehicles use this major road along the Nice coastline every day. Local authorities have been concerned for several years about dangerous behavior, especially at night. Between 2019 and now, nineteen people have died there, and forty-nine have been seriously injured. These figures prompted the municipality and the prefecture to revise their monitoring strategy.
The mobile radar is part of a series of measures aimed at slowing down speed on this very busy axis. Three similar devices are expected to follow, before the implementation of seven new radars across the entire Nice territory. These installations primarily target areas considered accident-prone.
For several months, the city of Nice has been alerting the State to the worrying situation on the Promenade des Anglais. The prefect then announced a multi-step action plan. The mobile radar, installed in May near the Boulevard de Magnan, was the first phase. This device was supposed to be moved between five identified locations.
A second phase involved the commissioning of a fixed radar planned for September, whose exact location has not yet been disclosed. Other developments are being considered, including a “green wave” designed to synchronize traffic lights to smooth traffic flow and limit acceleration.
The accident-prone area expertise unit must also intervene. Its mission is to analyze the most dangerous points and propose suitable adjustments, such as chicanes or speed bumps.
Christian Estrosi welcomed the measures taken by the State: “For months, I kept urging the State to act quickly against the dangerous behaviors that are costing lives on the Promenade des Anglais. I am pleased that our requests have led to concrete actions. I thank the prefect for his attention and responsiveness: these advances mark an essential step in enhancing the safety of the people of Nice. It is by continuing this joint effort that we can make our roads safer and protect our fellow citizens to the best of our ability.”
Enhanced controls throughout the department
The return of the radar on the Promenade is part of a broader plan. Since November 3rd, three outsourced radar cars have been operating in the Alpes-Maritimes. Operated by private operators under State supervision, they complement existing controls.
Their mission: to spot speed excesses on targeted routes. The prefectural services have defined 44 itineraries, covering nearly 2,500 kilometers of roads and highways. These cars do not run constantly, but their presence is spread throughout the year. They operate day and night, during weekdays and weekends, covering around 15,000 kilometers per month.
The system is discreet. The vehicles bear no markings, and their infrared flash remains invisible to drivers. When an infraction is detected, the fine process follows the same route as for a fixed radar.
This measure addresses a worrying fact. Since the beginning of the year, the department has recorded 579 accidents. Thirty-seven people have died, and more than seven hundred have been injured. Excessive speed remains a major cause of these tragedies.
Authorities aim to maintain constant vigilance and make the system difficult to predict. Thus, the itineraries and schedules will be regularly revised to adapt to the most exposed areas.
These new resources complement the 56 fixed radars already installed in the department. They also free up time for law enforcement, who are now more available for other controls, notably those related to alcohol and drug use.
In Nice, as elsewhere, authorities rely on the regularity of controls to reduce speed and prevent accidents. The return of the radar on the Promenade des Anglais fits into this logic of deterrence and continuity. A strategy that relies less on surprise than on consistency.
