Visit to Nantes Métropole

Title: Visit to Nantes Métropole - Posted by: Pays des vallons de Vilaine
Date:  December 2011

The SMOOTH consortium benefited from its steering committee in Pays des vallons de Vilaine to visit Nantes Métropole.

After the day and a half of steering committee meeting in Bain de Bretagne, the consortium went to Nantes to meet Nantes Métropole’s transport department. They presented Nantes Métropole competences as urban authority.

Firstly there is a strong focus on the cycling plan. Currently the cycling modal share is 2% but the objective is to increase this rate up to 15%. To achieve this four axes have been determined:
- Make cycling infrastructure more attractive: Cycle paths are being developed through the whole urban area (24 Municipalities of Nantes). Nantes was the first city in France to pilot a new right-turn rule for cyclists which is now being rolled out across the urban area. Also specific signalling is being developed for roundabouts.
- Develop cycling services: Secures cycle parking has been implemented at the railway station to increase intermodality.  The city proposes 300 cycles for rent (half of them electric). A grant is proposed to ease the purchase of electric cycles.
- Communicate and encourage: Cycling is to be promoted through a dedicated “cycle day” (fête du vélo). Nantes wishes to be the international Velo City 2013.
- Evaluate and monitor cycling use

Nantes Métropole’s car-pooling was presented. A common website has been created between, Nantes Métropole, the CARENE (Saint-Nazaire community of towns) and the general council of Loire-Atlantique. To incite users, a “car-pooling” challenge has been organised between companies benefiting from a company travel plan. The winners will be the ones which car-pooled the most.

An experimental scheme is ongoing at the final bus stops. Users with a card can be taken for a ride by a driver who are identified thanks to a sticker. It allows public transport users to benefit from a complementary transport mode when the bus frequency is too large.

The Marguerite car sharing system was also presented. This transport solution is used by 350 users, 25% of which are company users. For example, for Nantes Métropole, it allowed them to reduce their fleet by 100 cars.
 

 Image of the future Haluchère interchange

The second part of the presentation was about the construction of the Haluchère interchange. This place will gather the following modes of transport: interurban coach, urban buses including the chronobus (buses with a high frequency), tram, and the tram-train (a special interurban train line which will also stop at tramway stops). An important element of the works will be to anticipate how the travellers will circulate within the interchange site in order to place the signage efficiently.

Finally the group visited the works ongoing at the Haluchère interchange. They were able to understand the main difficulties related to the works, namely maintaining access to the surrounding businesses and to the shops, keeping the road open to all vehicles, including abnormal loads; and keeping access to the tram and bus station (a temporary tram station has been built).
 
 

Site visit at the Haluchère interchange