Users of the A1 should not be surprised if they witness a ballet of buses circulating from one lane to another this Tuesday afternoon. The organizing committee of the Olympic Games and Île-de-France Mobilités, the transport regulatory authority in the region, are organizing a simulation exercise on the highway lanes which will be reserved for accredited public during the global event. The CRS motorway, the Île-de-France roads department and security forces will be mobilized for the occasion.
“These exercises mainly aim to test the circulation of buses on the left lane of the A1 motorway, test the shears and finally, better understand the circulation of a large number of buses/coaches,” underlines the prefecture of Seine-Saint- Denis in a press release published this Monday. The scope of the exercise having an impact on users is limited to part of the A1 motorway in the provincial - Paris direction and part of the RD 40 departmental road.
Between the Robert-Ballanger and Sausset parks and the former grounds of the PSA automobile group, north of Aulnay-sous-Bois, the D 40 will be particularly used during the Games because it serves the site where an “operations center” will be installed. ephemeral bus”. It is in this depot that the approximately 900 vehicles responsible for transporting the tens of thousands of people accredited for the competitions will be parked: athletes, volunteers, journalists, members of the federations, etc.
“The various tests will be held between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the RD 40 and between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the A1,” announces the prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis, which specifies that the illuminated signs on the highway will relay the message. In total, 60 buses will be made available for the two exercises. The latter will leave from the Aulnay-sous-Bois bus depot, also making it possible to test traffic flows inside the bus depot. »
185 km of lanes reserved for accredited vehicles
The “shear” maneuver, which consists of crossing the traffic lanes from right to left, will require 21 buses. It will begin at the road barrier linking the A1 to the A86 and will end at the Stade de France, resuming the lane dedicated since 2015 to buses and taxis in the morning on weekdays.
“During the Olympic and Paralympic period, 185 km of lanes on the roads around Paris will be reserved for the circulation of accredited vehicles”, recalls the Anticipate the Games website put online by the State and Paris 2024. For the A1 , the main axis affected by this measure, the lane in question will be activated on July 15 between Roissy - Charles-de-Gaulle airport and Porte de la Chapelle. It will be open again to all vehicles on September 11, after the Paralympic Games.