The prefect of police Didier Lallement informed the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo of his
"opposition"
to the disputed redevelopment project between the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower which, according to him, would cause major traffic problems, we learned. Friday May 13.
"I inform you of my opposition to this plan to restrict traffic in the Eiffel Tower sector, as adopted by the Council of Paris",
writes the prefect in a letter dated Tuesday 10 but, revealed by
The Parisian
.
"Therefore, I will not co-sign any regulatory measure formalizing a modification of the traffic and parking policy related to this project,"
he adds.
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Read alsoParis: the town hall undertakes not to cut down trees at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
The
“OnE
” project chosen in 2019, for which the town hall is now counting on a budget of 107 million euros, was adopted in early February 2022 by the left-wing majority in power in Paris.
It aims in particular to reduce the space occupied by cars on either side of the Pont d'Iéna, called to become
"the first vegetated bridge in Paris",
as well as the creation of a
"vegetated amphitheater"
on the Place du Trocadero, where traffic will be reorganized in a half-moon, and a planted promenade on the Quai Branly.
"The closure to general traffic of the Pont d'Iéna will generate significant traffic reports on the Alma, Grenelle and Bir-Hakeim bridges and, to a lesser extent, on the Alexandre III and Concorde bridges",
says the prefect, based on the results of a study commissioned by the town hall in February 2020. On the Place du Trocadéro, the new development will also lead to
"restraints"
on the roads that serve it and could hinder the intervention of the emergency services
“in the event of a disaster at the Palais de Chaillot,”
he says.
Contacted by AFP, the deputy mayor (PS) for town planning Emmanuel Grégoire said he was
"very surprised at this turnaround",
which he considers
"political", "knowing that the police headquarters has given favorable opinions at all stages of the project
.
Anne Hidalgo
“intends to speak directly about this subject with the future government”
in order to
“settle politically”
rather than legally the file, adds the first deputy.
Read alsoParis: the town hall undertakes not to cut down trees at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
At the end of April, the felling planned at the foot of the Eiffel Tower of some twenty trees, some of them very old, as part of the
"OnE"
project to allow the construction of luggage storage and premises for employees, aroused a such a controversy that the mayor of Paris ended up giving it up.
In the fall, an electronic public consultation collected 6,000 contributions, the vast majority of which expressed opposition to the project.
