- About 100,000 people live in Chablais, a territory wedged between Lake Geneva and the Alps. In the lot, a package of cross-border workers who make the daily return to Geneva, two steps.
- Result: the two departmental roads which innervate the Chablais are saturated. The inauguration of the Léman Express, on December 15, must change the situation by allowing Chablaisiens to reach Geneva by train.
- Do you also need a highway? Yes, say almost all of the Chablais elected officials and the government, which declared the project of public utility. "Aberrant", say these opponents - including the city of Geneva - who want to get out of the logic of "all cars".
The highway of discord… In Haute-Savoie, the project of a 16.5 km two-lane two-lane road between Thonon-les-Bains and Machilly has crystallized the oppositions since Edouard Philippe, the Prime Minister, signed the December 24 the decree declaring this section of highway of public utility.
The city of Geneva has since launched hostilities on February 14, filing a first appeal to the Council of State. Two other local associations, Acpat and 3AC, followed suit. "He remains until Friday evening to file new appeals," warns Anne Lassman-Trappier, president of France Nature Environment (FNE) Haute-Savoie. "This is what Europe Ecologie-Les Verts plans to do, in association with the Greens of Geneva", specifies Alain Coulombel, national spokesperson for the party.
Saturated transport infrastructure
The highway also has its supporters, "including almost all of the mayors of Chablais", summarizes one of them, who wishes to remain anonymous *. In both camps, there is one observation that does not vary: the two departments and the railway which innervate this territory are saturated. Chablais is made up of several valleys between Lake Geneva in the north and the Alps in the south. The Arve valley, mined by chronic pollution, is also nearby.
About 100,000 people live in Chablais, mainly in Thonon-les-Bains, its capital. In the lot, a pack of cross-border workers, who go every day to Geneva.
"The commuters are the drop of water that often overflows," says the mayor, joined by 20 Minutes . However, the traffic is dense on the territory, driven by a dynamic economic fabric. Evian - Danone's mineral water brand - is notably installed here. »Result? "15,000 vehicles per day on the D903, which passes over Piedmont, and 22,000 vehicles per day on the D1005, which passes near the lake," he continues. These two departments cross villages, including mine. There are traffic jams in the morning and in the evening, there are heavy goods vehicles, some drive fast ... The whole gives inconvenience and a strong feeling of insecurity for those who live nearby. "
The promise of Léman Express
The Léman Express must improve the situation. In any case, this is the stated objective of this first cross-border rail link between Geneva and its French hinterland, inaugurated on December 15. "A line has already existed for a long time between Thonon-les-Bains and Annemasse, on the Swiss border," explains Alain Coulombel. But it ended there, it was not possible to continue by train to Geneva. "
Tomorrow :
Geneva in Switzerland launches the full opening of LEMAN EXPRESS:
- 230km including 16.10km underground
- 42 stations
- 6 RER lines
- Largest cross-border RER network in Europe
- 50,000 voy / d expected
But that's not all, there is the tram, & the Green Lane
Thread (1/5) ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/mvA7msaqqz
The Léman Express fills this gap. "It puts Thonon 50 minutes from Geneva by rail, when, very often, the journey exceeds an hour by road, compares Anne Lassman-Trappier. Everything is not perfect yet, but this Léman Express is already popular. The proof: people are up during rush hour. "
Give Léman Express time to prove itself?
This is the main criticism of opponents of the Thonon-Machilly motorway. "We don't even give ourselves the time to measure the contribution of Léman Express to traffic in the Chablais," regrets Anne Lassman-Trappier. Ten days after its inauguration, the State gave its approval to this motorway project, the route of which will be parallel to the railway line between Thonon and Annemasse. On a part, even, they will be side by side. "
"This is why Geneva is attacking," explains Alain Coloumbel. The city is crumbling under road traffic and increasing efforts to encourage cross-border workers to come by public transport rather than by car. This Thonon-Machilly motorway does the opposite. "
It will not be without consequences for the environment either. The impact study estimated between 26.6 ha and 34 ha the surface area of wetlands destroyed by the project. In addition, 46 ha of agricultural land spread over 26 farms, according to the same study.
"An old project that no longer makes sense"
It was enough for the environmental associations of the Climate Action Network to make this motorway project one of the symbols of the existing gap between Emmanuel Macron's voluntarist speeches on climate and concrete actions. Anne Lassman-Trappier and Alain Coulombel see especially in this highway "the obstinacy of local elected officials to defend at all costs old projects, even if they no longer make sense".
An allusion to the A400 motorway carried in the 1980s, already to open up the Chablais. It was then a question of connecting Annemasse to Thonon-les-Bains. In 1997, the Council of State re-examined the project, judging its financial and human cost disproportionate compared to the expected improvements in traffic. “Since then, the elected officials of Chablais have sausageed this A400 in three sections which they try to pass one by one, deplores Anne Lassman-Trappier. Thonon-Machilly is one of them. "
Improve the railway line, launch a high-level bus service, etc.
For opponents of this highway, there is much better to do to improve traffic. Starting with improving the Annemasse-Thonon rail line. "Avoidance tracks must be laid out so that the trains can cross more easily," slips Anne Lassman-Trappier. That would put more at peak times. "It would also be a good idea to set up parking lots near the line stations to facilitate intermodality," adds Alain Coulombel. Both recommend taking an interest in the departmental D1005, the most direct route to reach Geneva (and the most overcrowded), to build a bus line with a high level of service.
"All of this is planned," replied the mayor, joined by 20 Minutes . But neither the Léman Express nor this bus line will be enough to offload the two departments. These 16.5 km of motorway are still necessary. I understand the dissatisfaction of some farmers, but I also take into account the aspiration of the residents of these two departments to live in a more peaceful environment. On the other hand, the elected official is not as tender with the city of Geneva, which he finds recourse "a little easy". "Before attacking the motorway, it could reduce its parking spaces to discourage its workers from driving, or, above all, build the housing they are sorely lacking today, which would again reduce the number of cross-border workers on the roads, ”he tackles.
Opening in 2024?
The highway could see the light of day in 2024, if we stick to the calendar of its supporters. The concessionaire, who will build and operate this section, should be chosen by the end of the year. The Haute-Savoie departmental council has already voted a balance subsidy of 109 million euros (half the cost of building this motorway) which would come back to it if it did not come under its costs. Should we see this as the fear that this highway will not attract enough motorists? Contacted, the departmental council did not answer our questions.
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* Solicited, the mayor of Thonon-les-Bains, Jean Denais, refers on this file to the president of the Inter-municipal Planning Union of Chablais, Géraldine Pflieger, herself mayor of the town of Saint-Gingolph, still on the territory . She declined our request for an interview.
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