le bus express pour rallier Bordeaux officiellement lancé, avec quelques grincements
They are upset by the inconveniences of the construction site which they have been experiencing for several months now, and particularly by unforeseen changes to the plan (“probably adjustments” answers Pierre Hurmic) which according to them will amount to replacing eight parking lots with trees, installed in front of the fait accompli without taking into account the prior consultations.
“The car is my job”
“A tree brings you freshness, responds to the demand of local residents, and it is a myth to believe that the car makes businesses work”, has tried the mayor of Bordeaux. Except that, for Mathieu Rigon, “the car is my job! “He owns the GTR 33 garage and is in despair not to cram his customers’ cars anymore, supported by his neighbors from the real estate agency and the delicatessen.
“They will end up with a dead town, without inhabitants or businesses. They will have a bus and trees,” he complains. At the end of the somewhat lively exchanges, the mayor promised to come back to them to clarify the situation.
Cheaper than the tram
Not enough to spoil the pleasure of the other elected officials who stayed behind to savor this “day of celebration”, according to the mayor of Saint-Aubin Christophe Duprat, well aware of entering in turn a delicate period of work.
At the end of the road, the elected officials promise time savings to the 70,000 inhabitants of the north-west quadrant of the metropolis, over 21 km in a dedicated lane, 50% in a reserved lane, in a 100% electric bus.
Presented as a much less expensive alternative to the tram (156.4 million euros excluding taxes, in 2019), it has been expected for eleven years, “including three lost due to appeals”.
6,900 fewer cars
In practice, 42 stops are planned every 500 m, with crossings every 5 minutes at peak times between Saint-Médard and Bordeaux (7 a.m./9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m./6:30 p.m.) and every 10 minutes between Saint-Aubin and Saint-Medard. “Of course, we will have to continue the mesh inside the municipalities, so that no one has to take the car to get to the stops”, explains Christophe Duprat.
Estimates are based on 50,000 travelers per day (45% off-peak). If the ratio of the car to the express bus is indeed 18,000 journeys (9,000 round trips), the project foresees a reduction of 14,000 journeys by car. In concrete terms, 6,900 fewer cars on the road.