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Alternative transport modes |
| Fewer cars on the streets mean less pollution, less traffic, less
stress or in short, better quality in urban life, for the benefit of all.
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Following a two-year consultation process with the local population,
the Urban Community signed a 10-year Urban Transport Plan in 2000.
The objective of this plan, known as the PDU, was to slow the rise in car traffic by putting the priority
on alternative modes of transport.
- The PDU incorporates and reinforces the actions undertaken to promote:
- Walking and biking :
continued construction of bike paths, bike racks, hiking paths, pedestrian-only or
partly pedestrian streets for the pleasure of getting around on foot
- Bus, boat shuttle and ferry :
construction of dedicated lanes for faster buses, more frequent service, "shared taxis" in the evening, etc.
- Electric vehicles :
Autoplus, Liselec
and Elcidis
for electric delivery.
- Train :
improved service on the La Rochelle - Rochefort line and the opening of passenger service on
the line through the conurbation to La Pallice
- Parking :
new car parks just outside the city, with fast and frequent shuttle service to the centre
- The PDU includes plans for :
- A large transport hub behind the
railway station, to facilitate connections with all
the other modes of transport available in the conurbation
- Reducing noise along the peripheral highway through the installation of sound barriers
- A more comprehensive road network interlinking the towns around La Rochelle
- Overhaul of the Moulin des Justices interchange and creation
of a new southern access to La Rochelle
All of this will take time. The PDU is a 10-year plan for infrastructure
development, but its success also depends on each and every one
of us; if we want to keep car traffic from growing and causing
increasing disruption, we need to change our transport and travel
habits.
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