A major street in Toulouse is experimenting with one-way traffic
An important artery in Toulouse will become one-way from March 7. Only buses and bicycles could travel in both directions.
Habits will be disrupted. A major street in the Pink City is about to impose one-way traffic. This is the main rue Sain-Michel, on which the former prison of the same name is located, to the south of the city center of Toulouse. This change is, a priori, only temporary. It is part of an experiment until the end of 2022. The objective is to improve “the quality of life of local residents and to make the future heart of the district more convivial”, according to the municipality.
The main rue Saint-Michel in Toulouse is one-way, except for bicycles and buses
Thus, from March 7, traffic is one-way in the main rue Saint-Michel between Place Lafourcade, near the Jules-Guesde alleys, and the Saint-Michel prison. In other words, Only drivers coming from the south of Toulouse towards the city center could use this portion.
Traffic remained open in both directions only between boulevard des Récollets and the prison. Also, buses and bicycles could still take this artery in both directions, along its entire length. Signage work is carried out during the February holidays in order to properly guide road users.
Upheavals for the regulars
This change will upset the habits of drivers. It will no longer be possible to join the Rocade or the Narbonne road from the Allées Jules Guesdes, for example. You will have to go by the banks of the Garonne.
Also, “to access the district, residents will have to take, depending on their origin, boulevard Maréchal Juin, the alleys of the Demoiselles, part of the rue Achille Viadieu and the adjacent streets, the rue des Trente-Six Ponts, the boulevard des Récollets or avenue Crampel ”, according to the town hall of Toulouse.
Furthermore, “the parking offer will be relatively little impacted by this experiment. Despite the removal of a few places, it will still be possible to park on the main rue Saint-Michel and nearby.