“It’s like a lottery”, breathes a bitter bar owner who, on Wednesday, did not yet know if he was on the list of winners or on that of losers. Awaited for more than a month, the arbitration of the town hall of Toulouse on the famous “Covid” terraces conceded to counter the effects of the health crisis on the turnover of professionals, fell on Tuesday March 29 in the aftermath. -midday. “248 terrace extensions out of the 423 exceptionally authorized will be removed on April 1,” said Capitol in a press release.
With double level suspense. First for the restaurateurs of the city center since the town hall has also decided to wait another month to decide on the case of the terraces of “10 places” of the “protected sector”, in other words of the hypercentre. Then, because on Wednesday, most restaurateurs did not know whether or not they were concerned. “You have to never have run a business to warn people overnight,” says another boss, who requires understandable anonymity while waiting for the final list. He thinks of those who, like him, had “already hired for the sunny days” and will have to backtrack. To those also who have bought furniture that has become useless for their extension “in the suburbs or small neighborhood bars”. “And then the customers do not fall from the sky, he adds, they are Toulouse residents in the same way as the local residents”.
“There are 175 left”
The mayor specifies that she decided according to three criteria: safety/accessibility, nuisances and “heritage value”. All were part of the demands of associations of residents or users who were campaigning for the total abolition of extensions. But, here again, the reception of arbitration is mixed. The association Bien vivre Toulouse center (BVCT), which claims a thousand members, has chosen humor. She announces as an April Fool that the town hall will allow individuals to set up a private terrace in front of their door. But on the merits, the reaction is divided. “The action of the federated associations has been beneficial,” says Patrick Affre, its secretary. But there are still 175 extensions left, which is a lot when you consider the suffering of local residents who take it for life.
Richard Mébaoujd, president of the 60 million pedestrians association, sees the glass as half empty. “The mayor has only gone halfway to allow Toulouse residents to regain normality in the space which would benefit pedestrians, people with reduced mobility and residents”, he judges.