End of buses rue de Metz, interrupted tram, new cycle paths… everything that is going on this summer
It has become a habit in Toulouse. During the summer, the jackhammers are out, and the officials of Tisséo and the metropolis take advantage of the departures on vacation and the acceleration in road traffic to block streets and speed up construction sites.
This year, it will still be the case, but the biggest disruptions will certainly be on the side of public transport. Tram users will thus be deprived of this mode of transport for more than three weeks. And from the end of August, those who take the bus will have to look twice at the reorganization plan before boarding their favorite Linéo.
No tram for more than three weeks
This summer, Tisséo will carry out a vast project on the two tram lines as part of the creation of a partial terminus at Odyssud which will require their closure from July 25 to August 16 inclusive, with an extension until August 26 inclusive for the T1 line, between the Ancely stations and the MEET station. Replacement shuttles will be put in place for users.
This project must anticipate the creation of the Airport Express Line, this high-frequency line, which will eventually connect the airport to the 3rd metro line and the T1 tramway, via the new Jean Maga station. All using the existing rails of the T2 line of the Tram. The project will improve the frequency and capacity of the tramway. “We will be able to double its frequency, explains Jean-Michel Lattes, president of Tisséo Collectivités, and also vice-president of the metropolis in charge of public transport. The T1 line, in its current configuration, passes every nine minutes, and carries up to 60,000 passengers per day. In the future, the trains will pass every four and a half minutes, and the prospect is to be able to transport up to 100,000 people. »
On August 29, farewell to the buses rue de Metz
It is also a small revolution that will take place at the end of the summer in the city center of Toulouse. As part of the development of the rue de Metz, between the François-Verdier and Esquirol alleys, the buses will completely disappear, whereas today there is one every 3 minutes. “The last time there was such a reorganization of the bus network was in 2007, when the 400 buses passing through rue d’Alsace-Lorraine were abolished, on the occasion of the opening of line B of the metro”, recalls Jean-Michel Lattes.
Instead of passing on this axis, they will be redirected, either towards the boulevards, or towards Esquirol. Lineo 7 and 9 will merge to create a single line running from Saint-Orens to L’Union. And bus 44 will now serve Esquirol via rue Ozenne. Changes that will also relieve the terminus of Cours Dillon, where fewer bis will be stationed.
The Saint-Pierre bridge 100% pedestrian and cyclist
Goodbye cars on the Saint-Pierre bridge between July 18 and August 22, except those of emergency vehicles. During this period, the lanes overlooking the Garonne will be reserved for pedestrians and bicycles. And the town hall is taking advantage of this experiment to install deckchairs, picnic tables and games.
Creation of new cycle paths
Taking advantage of the summer, work will be carried out to create new lanes dedicated to cyclists, more and more numerous in Toulouse. “In the continuity of what we have done on the boulevard Montplaisir, on the boulevard de la Marne, we are going to dissociate the pedestrian path, which remains along the Canal du Midi, from a cycle path that we are going to create”, indicates Maxime Boyer, the elected representative in charge of travel and new mobility in Toulouse Métropole.
Same idea on the Boulevard de la Marquette side, where work will take place at the beginning of July between the Departmental Council and the Béarnais bridge, and where a secure cycle lane will be created on the road, for commissioning between September and October. .