• The subject of the ring road, more and more saturated at rush hour, is one of the priorities of the year 2022 for Bordeaux Métropole.

  • For road hauliers, the problem of heavy goods vehicles, and in particular heavy goods vehicles in transit, is not the only cause of this congestion.

  • Rather than a toll for trucks in rush hour, they plead to relaunch a major bypass project, and why not only reserved for these heavy goods vehicles in transit.

Will 2022 lead to the implementation of solutions to improve traffic on the Bordeaux ring road?

This is in any case the ambition of the working group dedicated to this infrastructure, created at the end of last year by the metropolis of Bordeaux, on an initiative of the elected LREM Thomas Cazenave.

The latter will co-lead this group with the vice-president of the metropolis in charge of infrastructure, Claude Mellier (PCF).

"We will meet regularly with the elected members of this group, including many mayors, and we have already scheduled a new meeting in March to share the state of progress of our work", announces Thomas Cazenave, who hopes that this this body is open to elected officials from all over the Gironde, and that professionals as well as users are consulted.

As many heavy goods vehicles in transit as in local service on the eastern ring road

This is precisely the wish of representatives of road hauliers, who are "a little fed up with being the scapegoats" when it comes to broaching the subject of congestion on the ring road.

"We do not hide the fact that there are trucks in rush hour on the ring road, but they are not there for pleasure, and statistically the trucks are not the main cause of traffic jams on the ring road", assures Olivier Hicebe, delegate of the National Federation of Road Transport Aquitaine, based on a study carried out in 2020 by the regional directorate for the environment, planning and housing.

This shows that 25,000 heavy goods vehicles circulate on average every day on the ring road, including 19,000 on the eastern ring road.

The distribution over this eastern part of the ring road is relatively equal between heavy goods vehicles in transit (49%) and those providing local service (51%).

“On the East bypass,” says the study, “the number of heavy goods vehicles in transit during the morning rush hour (from 7 am to 9 am) is around 300 / h, and 365 / h during the period of evening peak (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

Between the two, the average number of heavy goods vehicles in transit is around 560 / h.

At night, this attendance drops to 200 heavy goods vehicles per hour.

And the study concludes that “heavy goods vehicle transit traffic alone cannot justify the congestion situation.

"

"A truck represents almost three cars"

"The carriers have already organized themselves to pass on the Bordeaux ring road at the least complicated times, continues Olivier Hicebe, even if there are always trucks at peak times because there are situations where we can not do otherwise. "Thomas Cazenave qualifies these figures, however:" We must also take into account the space occupied by a truck, which represents almost three cars, he points out. It is a reality that cannot be dismissed. "

For the elected LREM, "there are three fields of investigation" to explore around this file of the ring road: "the developments to be carried out around the infrastructure (interchanges, access ...), the transformation of the use of the bypass, for example using the emergency lane or by reserving a lane for public transport, and finally this issue of international heavy goods traffic. Several proposals, such as a differentiated toll according to the transit times of the trucks, should be put on the table. "We must not refrain from any avenues of reflection, continues Thomas Cazenave, but we will not be able to regulate the traffic if there are no alternatives offered to these trucks, to retain them upstream and downstream" warns- he. Understand that parking areas should be built for these heavy goods vehicles,insufficient to date.

Carriers against "coercive measures"

On the transport side, we are absolutely against "coercive measures" against heavy goods vehicles.

"With a toll or reserved traffic hours, we will perhaps leave 200 or 300 heavy goods vehicles in transit at peak times", which would be insufficient to act on congestion, according to Franck Puharré, South-West regional transport delegate. & Logistics of France (TLF).

“And how will we distinguish between heavy goods vehicles in transit and those which provide local service, which represent one in two trucks?” He worries.

This measure also risks penalizing carriers who deliver to supermarkets and businesses in the agglomeration, which would therefore be forced to change their economic organization.

"

The two representatives of the road hauliers plead "for a road bypass of the metropolis, and why not a large bypass only open to heavy goods vehicles."

The majority of economic players are in favor.

"

"The question is, what do we do now?"

"

“The great circumvention is not a taboo subject, assures Thomas Cazenave, but it is not on the agenda of the working group, because we are not in the same time frame.

Even if it was relaunched, it would take several years to complete.

The question is, what do we do now?

Are we able to better distribute the space?

"

The metropolis indicates that "discussions will now be held with the State, the infrastructure manager, so that the expectations of the territory are taken into account as soon as possible.

"

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: New traffic and parking rules come into force in 2022

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: How to resolve the thorny question of the saturation of the bypass by heavy goods vehicles?

  • Circulation

  • Caps

  • Truck

  • Car

  • Mobility

  • Road

  • Aquitaine

  • Bordeaux

  • 0 comment

  • 0 share

    • Share on Messenger

    • Share on Facebook

    • Share on twitter

    • Share on Flipboard

    • Share on Pinterest

    • Share on Linkedin

    • Send by Mail

  • To safeguard

  • A fault ?

  • To print