Proximity, transport and mobility meetings: “The right not to be placed under house arrest”

Les mobilités sont au cœur des préoccupations du monde rural. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Autre thème de réflexion aux Assises de la proximité et de la ruralité : les transports et les mobilités.

"It's a strong priority for the Region, because mobility is the right not to be placed under house arrest". Jean-Luc Gibelin, vice-president of transport for the Occitanie Region, defends the plurality of offers, rail, because between cities, transport on demand, "the articulation between mobilities is essential, it's not just for Parisians". 

Jean-Luc Gibelin, vice-president of the Occitanie Region, in charge of transport. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

On the railway, the Gard is rather well served with the lines on the right bank of the Rhône recently reopened to travelers, that between Nîmes and Le Grau-du-Roi – which will welcome the first battery train in Occitanie -, and of course the reopening of the Alès-Bessèges line that the Cévenols have been waiting for for ages. "We are still waiting for the State's response for the mobility component of the 2023-2027 State-Region Plan Contract! It's March 2024, can you imagine if elected officials managed their communities a year late!" annoys the regional elected official.

An environmental study deemed "absurd"

Another cause of irritation, the environmental studies, called 4 seasons, requested by the State on the right bank of the Rhône. "There already pass 50 freight trains per day and to go from 7 TER to 14, we will lose 24 months of studies, that&#39 ;is absurd", plague Jean-Luc Gibelin who also denounces the requested removal of five level crossings in Alès-Bessèges. Pascal Rousson, from the SNCF users association, points to the same environmental study for the multimodal exchange hub of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, "in an urban environment , already waterproofed to 95%". 

Pascal Rousson, representatives of SNCF user associations and groups. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

And the road ? The Suménois Christophe Bonnet who chairs the Capeb du Gard, points out the difficulties for artisans to arrive in urban centers. "With the low-emission zones, entering Montpellier is a real hassle, I have colleagues who give up. Parking isn't any better. In the future, the guy who has a water leak in Nîmes, I wish him good luck!" 

Christophe Bonnet, president of Capeb du Gard. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

In the audience, Serge Henry, boss of a refrigeration and air conditioning company in Saint-Ambroix, evokes the famous West ring road which would allow users of the RN 106 to avoid traffic jams, between La Calmette and the entrance to the Nîmes Ouest highway. "I receive compressors from Germany, from the Hamburg region. The carrier takes one day to cross Germany, three for France. Arriving in Montpellier, the local transporter who takes over only comes to Alès every three days because it wastes too much time crossing Nîmes. This penalizes us."

Sébastien Martinez, deputy director of IMT Mines Alès. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Sébastien Martinez, deputy director of the School of Mines (IMT-Mines Alès) recalls that his establishment incubates companies but also that students work on foresight. Clean transportation is at the heart of   research. Future engineers who must carry out field missions. "Why not have them work on a community issue, whether it concerns waste or others ?" In exchange, Sébastien Martinez would like to see the Agglo d'Alès working on a shuttle for students, whose school is located on the heights of Alès , can come and irrigate the heart of the city.