Toulouse. Four years after the metamorphosis of rue Bayard, what do shopkeepers think?
Through Quentin Marais
Published on
When leaving Matabiau station as well as passing on Boulevard de Strasbourg, it is a must: rue Bayard, in Toulouse. She metamorphosed in September 2017 after 18 months of work. Four years later, traders take a step back and judge this transformation.
“The neighborhood is evolving well”
The first stopover is at Carrefour City, 49 rue Bayard. Pierre Coutures is there trader for 16 years. This street, he saw it transform. But it was not all easy. “Over 16 years, there have been 14 complicated … the work and reinforcements in municipal police personnel calmed the street. “
There are always social centers, a very cosmopolitan activity and an eclectic clientele. It’s a train station street, with all the activities that come with it. The neighborhood is evolving well, because it is slowly changing.
Toulousain by birth, Pierre Coutures knows the sector perfectly. “I liked him young. The local Carrefour was a game room. At the university, we finished our nights, ”smiles the shopkeeper. It is an endearing district, and which has a real identity. Today, you can find almost everything, and at any time. “
What future for rue Bayard? Accompanied by Hervé Marty, cultural ambassador of Toulouse Métropole, Pierre Coutures, who is also president of Amitié Bayard, answer together: “ Bayart’Street will add something that can stimulate, unite. This street is one of the gates to Toulouse. When you arrive at the station, you have it in front of you… ”
A positive development, but …
On the opposite sidewalk, on the side of the pairs of digits, Pascal Gonzalez manages the Toulouse Citadel, a locksmith company that has owned the Fichet brand since 1978. He has been working on rue Bayard for 11 years. ” She is prettier, more accessible to pedestrians. But there are still some adjustments to be made. “
There should be a little more cleanliness. We had already requested that the street be cleaned in the morning and afternoon, which had been done. But when I see the new paving stones, covered with oil on places where there is not even room to park … It takes me down! “
Pascal Gonzalez also regrets “ too many vehicles double-parked and who have nothing to do there. Some go into the stores and leave their cars, and they throw everything everywhere ”.
But for him, “there is a real potential, a big passage with the station. I’m quite proud to be in this neighborhood“. Pascal Gonzalez predicts a “friendly, nice future, because traders get along well. There is solidarity ”.
The metro as a thorn?
A little further in the street, taking the direction of the station, the Stock Américain store, managed by André Lelté, for 51 years now. Behind his office, he judges a street which, according to him, ” has evolved in the wrong direction. On one still the same problems. In terms of work, for us, that hasn’t changed anything… ”
The street has been redone, trees have been found, sidewalks have been made, there are supposedly cameras, but for work, that hasn’t changed anything at all. Anyway, what really hurt us was the metro. The people who passed on the street now they pass under.
For André Lelté, the problem is therefore much older, and the metamorphosis of the Toulouse artery is in vain. “When I arrived in 1970, I had two saleswomen, today I’m on my own,” he comments. Many clients have told me that they no longer came because they take the metro …”
Can the Bayart’Street exhibition project be a game-changer? “I don’t think so,” answers André Lelté. It is a laudable project, but it will not restart the neighborhood. Before, in rue Bayard, there was a diversity that is no longer there. Lots of things have closed …”
“The police must come by more often!” “
Place the scissors and the mower. Erick is a hairdresser at number 10 on the street. He’s been there for 13 years. Before the works, ” on a seen from everything here He sighs. “But I think it’s very good. This is a very positive development. We can see it in the price of rents which is increasing. “
But like his counterpart Pascal Gonzalez, he regrets seeing many people ” double-park, or not paying attention to parking. I have disabled seats in front of my living room, they are constantly taken by cars who have nothing to do there …“.
The police need to come over more often to issue a ticket. When we see young people who sow discord, or when we call because there are marginalized people who insult people, there is no one left … People don’t care, but children and people elder hears that …
For the rest, the manager of the establishment located near Boulevard de Strasbourg hopes ” something chosen more festive, with trees which will grow larger, terraces which will be installed … This street must not be a passing street, but a street where you want to sit on a bench without being afraid of being insulted! “
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