The village of Goudes in Marseille is one of the main entrances to the Calanques national park – Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
- At the dawn of the summer season, the Aix-Marseille metropolis has announced the reinforcement of buses and work to decongest the route des Goudes.
- This gateway to the Calanques National Park has indeed been overcrowded since this winter.
- Measures applauded on the right and on the left, after months of arm wrestling.
That’s it, they’re back. The whole of France is celebrating this Wednesday the reopening of terraces and other cultural places, but the people of Marseilles are preparing for another opening: that of the summer season, and its flood of tourists who come to enjoy the coast.
A summer season that comes after a particularly complicated winter in the Calanques National Park, marked by overcrowding. From the first rays of the sun, the route des Goudes, the main gateway to the south of Marseille, was regularly congested, for lack of sufficient public transport.
Work starting this week
However, a few days before the weekend of Pentecost, the metropolis announced new measures to fight against all cars in this very busy part of the creeks. Concretely, after having installed a barrier to cut off access to the Baie des Singes, work was undertaken on Monday to move the Callelongue roundabout, in order to facilitate the passage of buses and reduce traffic jams. “It will be effective by the end of the week,” promises Didier Réault, president of the calanques national park and vice-president of the metropolis.
“The Napoleon car park will be marked, which will remove a certain number of spaces that were wildly occupied,” explains Didier Réault. The metropolis will also accompany these measures with information panels to dissuade motorists in the event of high traffic, from Pointe-Rouge. “
No more buses
The only low-capacity bus line serving Callelongue, line 20 will also be reinforced from the 31st but, with one passage every fifteen minutes, while the maritime shuttle between Pointe Rouge and Les Goudes will resume service from the 29th. may.
Measures which intervene at the end of a standoff between the town hall led by the socialist Benoît Payan and the metropolis, chaired by the unfortunate LR candidate for municipal elections Martine Vassal, and which, well known, seem to achieve consensus. “Finally, things are moving forward,” applauds Audrey Gatian, deputy mayor in charge of mobility. This is one of the measures we want and it is the sign of a real alternative. No one wants to relive the summers we’ve had so far. “
A meeting on May 31
“At this stage, I am satisfied, abounds Pierre Benarroche, mayor of the sector. It already has an educational value, and it goes in the right direction to control the flow of traffic. “But to stop there would be insignificant, warns Didier Réault. We are not going to kid ourselves: this pressure on the Calanques Park will continue this summer, and it is not with three things that it will calm down. “
According to our information, after this series of measures, a meeting will be organized on May 31 between the RTM, the metropolis, the city of Marseille and the calanques national park to consider other measures aimed at reducing automobile pressure on this park. .