The project of revegetation and pedestrianization of the perspective between the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro, planned by the town hall of Paris for the Olympic Games of 2024 but to which the State opposes, was again challenged by administrative justice.
“The City of Paris is not justified in requesting the cancellation of the decision of the prefect of police” opposing the work, ruled the administrative court of appeal of Paris, which rejected the request of the town hall in a decision rendered on April 7, consulted on Friday by AFP. At the end of October, the administrative court had already rejected the request for interim relief from the City against this same decision taken by the former Paris police chief Didier Lallement.
Not enough space for emergency vehicles?
On May 10, 2022, the latter informed PS Mayor Anne Hidalgo of his opposition to “this project to restrict traffic in the Eiffel Tower sector”, fearing “significant traffic reports” and “detentions” which could hinder the intervention of the emergency services.
For the Administrative Court of Appeal, the former police chief “did not make any error in law” in considering, “in particular, that the new horseshoe-shaped layout of the Place du Trocadéro risks cause deductions on the roads that serve it as well as traffic transfers on the adjacent avenues”.
And if the services of the police headquarters have formulated “favorable opinions” on applications for building or development permits, these “one-off opinions cannot be sufficient to invalidate the overall assessment” of May 10, 2022, underlines the court .
Still according to the judges, the town hall does not provide sufficient demonstrations on two requests from the prefecture: that “to widen to three meters the lane reserved for security and emergency vehicles on the Quai Branly”, and “the establishment better management of the regulation of traffic lights”.
A project costing 110 million euros
The data from the town hall “cannot be sufficient to demonstrate” that the project “would not involve (…) traffic deductions and postponements as well as risks of congestion or traffic saturation”, said the court again.
“We take note and regret the court decision preventing the realization of the Trocadéro-Tour Eiffel project and the necessary arrangements for the proper holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, reacted Friday to AFP the assistant for urban planning Emmanuel Grégoire, who is studying “the possibility of filing an appeal before the Council of State”.
If the project, costing 110 million euros and highly contested by the opposition like the residents, will therefore not see the light of day for the Olympics, the “political will” of the left executive “has not changed” , insists the first deputy who intends to “update the traffic studies” requested by the police headquarters.
The mayor of the 7th arrondissement Rachida Dati, leader of the LR opposition, welcomed a court decision demonstrating, according to her, “the amateurism of the town hall: lack of anticipation, risk of traffic embolism , all at a huge cost.