A new consultation which should lead to less debate. A few days after the vote which led to the future ban on self-service scooters in the capital, the Paris City Hall announced on Wednesday that Parisians, but not only, will again be asked to give their opinion. The subject this time: A ring road lane reserved for carpooling, public transport and taxis.
“We want to take advantage of the legacy of the Olympic Games”, explained Emmanuel Grégoire, first assistant to Anne Hidalgo who sees in the Olympics an “accelerator of ecological transition”. Indeed, for the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, lanes, in particular on three-quarters of the ring road, will be reserved for delegations, officials, athletes and emergency services. An imperative included in the specifications of the Olympic Organizing Committee (IOC) to obtain the Games.
Reduce nuisance and improve traffic flow
A boon for the Paris City Hall, which wishes to perpetuate these routes on the Paris ring road in order to transform it sustainably to “develop a more virtuous and economical use of the car”. “The ring road is used every day by 1.2 million vehicles, including 1 million by a single person”, justifies David Belliard, deputy in charge of transport, mobility and roads. According to the elected official, this transformation has three main virtues: Reducing air pollution, reducing noise pollution suffered by residents living near the ring road and improving traffic flow by reducing the number of vehicles.
If all the parameters of this mutation have not yet been established, the municipality is considering a path whose exclusivity would be dynamic. That is to say that it would not be permanent: “It could be reserved from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the rest of the time in normal traffic”, specifies Emmanuel Grégoire. In the same way, the exclusivity of the lane could be canceled in the event of heavy traffic congestion to free up traffic.
A differentiation that would be made through luminous white diamonds on the side of the road. No marking, permanent and “which could therefore be misleading”. The only obligation, non-negotiable, is the presence of several people on board the vehicle (with the exception of taxis in service). By carpooling, elected officials mean any vehicle that would have several people in it. “A woman with her child? It’s carpooling, ”says the first deputy.
Fitness radars to ensure carpooling
To ensure the proper application of this regulation, the Paris City Hall relies on shape radars, capable of identifying the presence of several people in the vehicle, “but not the faces”, already under test. Law obliges, the verbalization cannot be done without the validation of a sworn agent of the images captured by the radar. Offenders would face a fine of 135 euros. But the elected officials count on the autocontrol of the drivers for an optimal use of this way.
The transformation costs should be “painless” for Parisians. Firstly for the portfolio since Solideo, the Olympic works delivery company, a French establishment created for the Olympic Games, is responsible for all the facilities planned for the event, ie 18.7 million euros. Remains at the expense of the City of Paris, “only” 5 million euros for the portion not concerned by the Olympic Games, that is to say from Bercy to the Porte de Versailles.
Electronic voting from April 17 to May 28
In addition, the works should take place smoothly for users since, minimal, they will take place during the maintenance operations which take place each month and at night on each section of the ring road.
Thus, from April 17 to May 28, all users, Parisians or not, will be called upon to express their views and submit their suggestions electronically (PPVE) on the dedicated website: Périphérique-voie-dédiée. Paris. This public participation will be organized under the aegis of the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) and will “refine and enrich the project”. Authorized vehicles, timetables, methods, the Paris City Hall ensures that it is open to all reflections.
In 2021, it was the Region which organized an online consultation in which 90% of the 79,000 voters said they were opposed to the “removal” of a lane on the ring road.