Toulouse: the Grande rue Saint-Michel is definitely going one-way
The town hall of Toulouse, in consultation with local residents and associations, has decided to make Grande rue Saint-Michel definitively one-way. The experimentation with this one-way street, which began in March 2022 and is currently ongoing, has been deemed positive. Work will begin in the spring of 2023.
It is a renovation of the “next world”. The one where the bikes seem to take their place, 2 m on each side, where the cars only circulate in one direction. And where the revegetation will be “pushed to the maximum”, according to Jonnhy Dunal, mayor of the Saint-Michel Le Busca district. It is also the first time that such an ambitious requalification project will be implemented for a suburb of Toulouse. Until now reserved for the hypercentre, around the Capitol or rue Bayard, the major rehabilitation of Grande Rue Saint-Michel will cost 8 million euros, and will span nearly two years of work, between 2023 and 2025.
A single traffic lane, in the direction of the Palais de Justice
Grande rue Saint-Michel will therefore be definitively one-way, between rue Saint-Denis and place Lafourcade, as has been the practice since March 2022. A single lane of automobile traffic will be kept, in the inbound direction, towards the Courthouse. Even the “outgoing” bus lane is not preserved. On the other hand, cycle paths in the format “Réseau express vélo”, i.e. 2 m on each side, away from car traffic, will be created. About 70 trees will be planted, with the creation of shaded “mini-places”, such as around the Cratère cinema. “We will debit as much as possible,” says Jonnhy Dunal.
“A concerted project, tested and matured with the inhabitants”
“With this project, the Grande rue Saint-Michel ceases to be only a thoroughfare. We are strengthening neighborhood life and active circulation, by clearly separating bicycles and pedestrians”, declared Jean-Luc Moudenc , mayor of Toulouse. This project is exemplary because it is co-constructed with the inhabitants, and experimentation has allowed it to mature. The street will be upgraded, and this could be a pioneering project, for future redevelopment of the suburbs of Toulouse.”