On Wednesday, the mayor of Bordeaux announced the implementation of several strong measures that were included in his campaign program, including the passage to 30 km / h in most streets of the city and an extension of the pedestrian sector of about 40 %. The objective is to encourage those who can do without their car to adopt other modes of transport and to allow those for whom it is a necessity to circulate better in a city which is today the third most congested of France.
Claiming to take the measure of the climate emergency, the schedule is tight. The speed of 30 km / h will thus be put into effect from January 2022. “A form of precipitation, for Fabien Robert (Modem) and member of the opposition. If the speed is effectively lowered to 30 km / h in all districts of Bordeaux on January 1, 2022, in four months, it will only be a matter of replacing the panels. However, this is not enough: a 30 km / h zone works if it is accompanied by roadworks [création de ralentisseurs, suppression des feux de circulation, rénovation des carrefours…] “Of course, the work will be spread out over time,” said the deputy mayor in charge of nature in the city Didier Jeanjean. But, on the acceptance of the measure in general, he highlights an Ifop survey which marks 68% of respondents in favor and support for its implementation with information meetings during neighborhood councils.
A consultation of the inhabitants requested
Fabien Robert and Thomas Cazenave’s Renouveau Bordeaux group (LREM) point to a lack of upstream consultation. “For elected officials, the measure to limit the speed to 30 km / h in Bordeaux is an element of appeasement, however it requires real prior consultation with the inhabitants and not a forced passage”, points Renouveau Bordeaux. “Once again, the mayor is making announcements without any prior consultation. Neighborhood councils will be consulted… afterwards, ”adds Fabien Robert. He recalls that the ecological city of Bègles “had adopted the same radical method before going back by increasing the speed to 50 km / h on certain axes. However, Bordeaux has already announced that it will keep some penetrating at 50 km / h.
What about public transport?
For the Bordeaux group in struggles of which Philippe Poutou (NPA) was the head of the list, if it is certain that “the less the car takes up space the better, in particular for our health and the environment”, he notes that the ecological mayor “avoids the central issue of the organization of public transport”.
“For us in Bordeaux En Luttes, the best response to both public health (air pollution) and social (increased poverty and precariousness) problems is the establishment of a real public transport service throughout the agglomeration which alone can set up free access for the entire population, ”explains the group in a press release.
For Fabien Robert, increasing the capacity of public transport must be addressed in order to face demographic challenges. “How to transport 300,000 additional people per day by 2030? As a reminder, soft modes are mainly used for short distances. Thus, they represent 50% of trips but only 10% of km traveled … However, 57% of the inhabitants of the metropolis work more than 7 km from where they live. “