We’ve been talking about it for years. This Tuesday, January 3, the first lane reserved for public transport (VRTC) will open in Rennes. Laid out on the hard shoulder along the RN137 from Nantes, this third lane connects Noyal-Châtillon-sur-Seiche to Porte d’Alma, south of Rennes over a section of four kilometres. It allows Star buses and Breizhgo coaches to travel on a dedicated lane and thus avoid being stuck in traffic jams. The objective is clear: to reduce travel time for users “because public transport will suffer less from the effects of congestion”. By developing the hard shoulder in this way, the Western Roads Department intends to “improve the performance and attractiveness” of public transport.
La Diro recalls that this lane remains an emergency lane. “If necessary, a vehicle in distress can stop there”. Only Star buses and Breizhgo coaches, whose drivers have been trained, are authorized to use it and only in the event of traffic jams. Emergency vehicles will also be able to circulate there, but not taxis and motorbikes, to which access to this third lane remains prohibited.
Speed limited to 70 km/h
The speed will remain limited to 70 km / h. “If we want to encourage the use of public transport, we must make it attractive, create a good alternative to the private car”, recently reminded Paul-Marie Claudon, secretary general of the prefecture of Ille-et- Ugly. Eventually, carpooling vehicles could be accepted there.
Already tested in Marseille and Grenoble and inaugurated in Nantes this summer, this new system will undergo a six-month test in Rennes. In the long term, all the penetrating roads leading to Rennes will be equipped with the same system, in particular within the framework of the deployment of trambus.