It is yet another heavyweight, which caused fear and anger in Preuilly-sur-Claise, a town in the south of the department, Tuesday June 25, 2024.
Shortly before 12 p.m., the flatbed of a large truck violently hit the front of the car which had squeezed in to let it pass, rue Chaumont-Patin, on the D725. “Fifteen centimetres further to the left, the accident would have been dramatic, because it would have been the driver’s head that was hit.”testifies Gérald Housseaux, municipal councilor, very attentive on the subject.
An alternative route not respected
The municipality does not have the power to ban heavy goods vehicles from its city centre, but it has taken steps with the county council, which is proposing an alternative diversion route.
To do this, it would be necessary to obtain the agreement of the municipalities that would then be crossed by this route: ” Bhello neighbors, we suggest you be attacked by trucks that we don’t wantt more ! You agree, of course? “, says Gérald Housseaux ironically, indignant; And he adds: « The sPrefectural services declare that they place the issue at the top of their concerns, without moving a finger. Ils must take their responsibilities. Attendent-ils a serious accident to react? For local residents, it is the permanent danger of being caught, the infernal noise, the pollution, deterioration of sidewalks, pieces of walls and posts torn off, damaged store facades… Recently, a garbage truck mounted the sidewalk in front of the Proxi store, fortunately no pedestrian was there! For drivers, divided between those who rightly believe they have the right to travel, and those who feel trapped in a trap, because they were not aware of the 7 successive bottlenecks, they will be held responsible in the event of an accident. serious, and therefore victims, too, of a culpably failing system.”
Since the La Roche-Posay bypass (Vienne), truck throughput has continued to increase in Preuilly.
Gérald Housseaux explains that “30% have foreign number plates; these are transnationals who use the free part of the motorway near Châteauroux then take the diagonal Châteauroux-Châtellerault. The other trucks use this route to save time, which is ultimately lost when they find themselves stuck in Preuilly-sur-Claise…”.
“Trucks must no longer circulate in the urban area”
Two opposition municipal councillors, Mathieu Barthélemy and Guy Buret, have proposed an alternative route which would pass in front of the abbey church and then take the road to Bossay-sur-Claise, to join, after development, the D725. “But it is too expensive for the Department”says Gérald Housseaux.
For Gérald Housseaux, this would in no way resolve the increase in traffic which goes against a reduction in the carbon footprint. “Trucks must no longer circulate in the urban area.”
