It is a major transformation that echoes another revolution. On June 21, 1986, the former mayor of Montpellier Georges Frêche inaugurated the new Place de la Comédie, entirely pedestrianized, relegating cars under the square, via a tunnel. Thirty-six years later, his daughter Julie (PS), vice-president of the metropolis in charge of mobility and Michaël Delafosse, the mayor president (PS) of Montpellier, have started a new 90-degree turn.
This same tunnel, closed since June 27 to the 6,000 cars that used it daily, will be transformed into a cycle path. “Opening the Comédie tunnel to bicycles is the most symbolic policy of our shock of mobility. But also a centerpiece of the device between the bike ring (around the crest) and the bike lines (which serve several cities in the metropolis), underlines Manu Raynaud (EELV), deputy mayor of Montpellier. The object of the game is to change his behavior. 60% of journeys over distances of less than four kilometers are made by car”.
Bright scenography and lower operating bill
This tunnel, which has become a 400 m long “cycling gallery”, will be highlighted by a luminous scenography. It must also make it possible to “restore the absolute priority of the pedestrian” on the Place de la Comédie, frequented daily by 45,000 people, specifies Julie Frêche. “If cyclists can pass below, that means that they will not be able to pass above and that they will not expose pedestrians, children, the elderly by sometimes rapid passage”, specifies Michaël Delafosse.
The mayor of Montpellier evokes “a hard-fought negotiation with the Ministry of Transport, because the regulation of the Comédie tunnel was a Mont-Blanc type tunnel. Our costs for operating and running this tunnel were therefore extremely high, for legitimate security reasons. This transformation will save us money. And help us bear the additional cost of the energy bill. »
A “mobility hub” at the first level
The Comédie car park, currently reserved for cars, will partly change its vocation. “Line 5 of the tramway has eliminated transit traffic and integrated Place Saint-Denis and Avenue Clemenceau into the historic centre. The status of the Comédie tunnel is evolving towards an establishment open to the public, which allows us to set up new functionalities,” says Julie Frêche.
By 2025, the first level of the car park will become a “mobility hub”, open in particular to bicycles (with charging stations for the batteries of electrically assisted bicycles) and motorized two-wheelers. It will also accommodate lockers for scooters, parking spaces for cargo bikes and others reserved for electric cars (with ten charging stations) or even a car-sharing area. The total cost of the operation, from the car park works to the requalification of the tunnel, is estimated at 7.8 million euros.