Today (editor’s note: yesterday) we participated (with Ben and Viera, no less…) in the inauguration of tram line 3. For years, from the Peyrat municipality, the initiator of the project, to the Estrosi municipality, the opposition did their job with alternative technical or financial proposals and by supporting residents’ and merchants’ associations worried about this urban upheaval. They sometimes succeeded, particularly regarding the route (the Diagonal, the Promenade des Anglais), but not always. This is perfectly normal: in a democracy, majorities are responsible for the overall balance of the projects they initiate.
In any case, that period is over, and it serves no one to prolong it. The Nice tram is now the tram that belongs to all the residents of this city. A common good that will become an integral part, line by line, of the familiar framework of our daily lives.
Of course, one might argue that the installation (or rather the reinstallation) of the tram has been carried out in all major cities in France and that Nice is not the first by any means. So what? Big deal!
Of course, one might think that the implementation will not necessarily be smooth, especially in a context of impatient inauguration due to elections. But even here, there’s nothing truly problematic if the users are open to suggestions and the authorities are willing to listen.
Of course, the cost might be considered steep. It is, and our tax statement will reflect this for a long time. But it is only after a few years of practice that we will assess the social and environmental cost-benefit of the chosen solutions.
It is therefore appropriate, on this beautiful day, to congratulate beyond the “too much” happening of Saint-Isidore the workers, the technicians, and, even if it’s not trendy, the “technical” elected officials who contributed to the success of this remarkable enterprise.
We must also acknowledge that at a time when we’re focusing on the planet’s future, one more tram is certainly good news.
May we also indulge in the “electric train” syndrome, which can affect both women and men (we are proof of it), as we discover these wonderful machines snaking through the city from station to station, giving us the feeling of having at our disposal, a few weeks before Christmas, a brand new, gleaming, colorful, and joyfully mobile toy.
Dominique Boy-Mottard & Patrick Mottard
