The government is not saying no. Transport Minister Clément Beaune is "open to the idea of reserving a lane of the ring road for carpooling, under cover of a prior impact study," said his entourage on Sunday, in reaction to the contested project of the mayor of Paris. "Reserved lanes will have to be developed. Simply, there is a problem, it is that there has been no impact study, "said the minister Saturday in an interview with Parigo, a program of France 3.
Excluded#Parigo
"I am open to the idea of reserving a lane of the periphery for carpooling. But it is necessary to first conduct an impact study "@CBeaune takes position on the project of the city of Paris
RDV this Saturday at 12:05 on @France3Paris
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The town hall wants to reserve a lane of the ring road for carpooling, taxis and public transport after the 2024 Olympic Games, in order to reduce pollution. "If it's to make more congestion, it's not so environmentally friendly. If it makes carpooling and bus transport and other uses more fluid, I think it's positive and we have to look at it. But a prior impact study is needed," the minister explained.
This project arouses the opposition of the Ile-de-France region led by Valérie Pécresse (LR). Used every day by a million vehicles, the ring road "has less than 20% of Parisian users and 40% of trips are from suburb to suburb," the region regularly advances.
VIDEO. Reserved lanes and limited traffic: Hidalgo wants to make the ring road a "green belt" of Paris
A project reviewed and corrected by mid-July
The project was also mostly rejected during a public consultation conducted online by the town hall from April 17 to May 28: it recorded a little more than 6,500 contributions, including "around 80-85%" of negative opinions, acknowledged Tuesday the deputy to Mobility and Roads David Belliard. The municipality has therefore "amended" its project by mid-July.
The other point of tension concerns the list of vehicles authorized to circulate there: the town hall considers as carpooling any vehicle carrying at least two people, including the driver.
Intended to reduce pollution, this reserved lane must be activated on the left lane in the morning and evening, "during the week and / or during weekends", according to the departure proposal of the town hall.
City Hall is also considering lowering the speed limit on the ring road from 70 to 50 km/h, permanently or only when the dedicated lane is active.