Between potholes and crevices, Hugo deplores the state of the road in the Lemasson district of Montpellier

Certain crevasses on rue Lavoisier raise fears of damage to vehicles and local residents.

Residents deplore the state of the road, but it is a private road.

Il faut zigzaguer pour ne pas tomber dans le trou.

Un entretien ne serait pas de trop.

Un habitant du quartier Lemasson déplore le mauvais entretien des routes dans son quartier. Outre l'aspect, il craint un jour de se blesser. Le hic : l'entretien de cette voie privée ne relève pas de la compétence de la Métropole. 

Hugo Leboon is not angry. To the point that he now avoids taking his car. The reason: the poor condition of certain roads in Montpellier. The father of three children, construction worker,   has sounded the alarm several times. "There are axes with around fifty housing units which are absolutely not maintained", explains the Montpellier resident. "I’I had to abandon my car because’between traffic jams, potholes, and cracks, it was costing me a fortune in maintenance" , according to Hugo Leboon. He cites the case of the intersection of rue Lavoisier and rue Sainte-Véronique in the Lemasson district in Montpellier. "When you look at the road, there are around ten potholes over 400m² road", he protests.

Two centimeters here, up to four centimeters of hollow depth there, "imagine that we break an ankle or that the wheel of our bike gets stuck in there. Whose fault is it ?", he wonders.

“Private roads are not a metropolitan jurisdiction”

Metropolitan jurisdiction, the streets of Montpellier are regularly inspected explains Laurent Nison, deputy mayor responsible for major works. "The city is divided into seven districts including two agents per zone. Potholes represent a thousand reports per year out of the 5,000 that the platform receives “Montpellier on a daily basis”. In the event of a report, security is secured within one hour. For 90% of them, the problem is resolved immediately", he assures.

Unfortunately, nothing can be done on private roads, "the streets affected by the problems mentioned are private. It’s up to the owners or lessors to do the necessary work. We would all like to have a pleasant public space but the Metropolis cannot force anyone."

"My body in pieces"

If visually the poor condition of certain roads gives a poor image, some suffer more serious consequences. "Last Monday, in ten minutes of cycling, we had to go around a lot of impassable places and get into the position of a dancer (standing on our bike, editor's note). Already, it's not pleasant but when I get up in the morning, I feel the journey of the day before", says the father of the family. "Sometimes my kids ask me to carry them… Imagine my sadness when I have to refuse because of my body in pieces", he whispers.

Also read: "That's a real edge…!" : why the Grand M roundabout has become one of the worst places in Montpellier to drive

Between city center and outskirts: "Double standards" 

But why are the small paths and alleys of the city so poorly maintained? For Hugo Leboon, this is a double standard. "The Place de la Comédie is constantly maintained. The main roads too and that is not the problem. I simply regret that the peripheral and therefore more popular neighborhoods are neglected".

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