“It will be long, expensive, but we will get to the end”: the response of the Caveirac Vaunage association to the Nimes western bypass project

Didier Codou face à Franck Proust en 2023. Le bras de fer continue.

L'association, qui s'oppose au contournement ouest a tenu une assemblée générale extraordinaire, une semaine après la publication de la déclaration d'utilité publique.

There were more than a hundred participants in the extraordinary general assembly, Friday evening, in Caveirac. A week after the publication in the Official Journal of the declaration of public utility concerning the western bypass project of Nîmes (CoNîm) the opponents do not intend to give up. Update after the meeting with President Thierry Codou and Vice-President Laurent Schneider.

Are you satisfied with the attendance at your extraordinary general meeting ?

Yes, there were more than a hundred of us and it was not just members of our association, since Nîmes neighborhood committees and members of the Caïman collective, of which we are part, were also present .

The agenda was, obviously, about the recent DUP… 

We first talked about expropriations (defined as necessary to carry out the project, Editor's note). The State has five years to act. It is estimated that in Caveirac itself, there would be between seven and ten houses affected. The variable lies in the fact that on the project, certain houses were not impacted and are now likely to be razed with the modification of the route. But that's not all. Land will also be affected. And there will also be certain owners who will not be expropriated, therefore not compensated, but who will find themselves with the road right in front of their homes. contact their insurance companies.

Apart from this advice, you still plan to attack the DUP ?

Yes, of course. We only have two months to contest it (before the administrative court, Editor's note). We talked about our meetings with different lawyers on Friday. It's going to be expensive and long, but we're going to get through to the end. People came back. They do not understand that in the current context, we continue to build roads. And the cost of the project that was announced to us is not accurate! With inflation, we will certainly exceed 300 million euros; !

How will you finance your legal actions ?

We already have funding through our association, we have committees that will help us and we will quickly launch an online fundraiser.

No demonstrations planned ?

No, not yet. We are still in a conciliation phase, in the hope of a discussion with politicians. We are fighting the project, but we have also proposed alternatives.

Which ?

The Vaunage train-tram project, which would reduce road traffic by 6,000 vehicles per day, increase the frequency of TER trains, and that of buses, the rate of which is n&# 39;has not been increased despite the work carried out recently (on the RD 40, Editor's note). There is also the creation of park and ride areas, carpooling areas, etc. When we think that the DUP was signed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, while the project will destroy 190 hectares of scrubland… It's a project from another time.&nbsp ;

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