Horn honking and bumper to bumper. During rush hours, users on the Rue de la Source and Rue Saint-Michel side to reach Cours Léopold know the scenario. It almost becomes a catastrophe when it plays out on the side of rue Stanislas and its two perpendiculars, rue des Carmes and rue Saint-Dizier.
Three quarters of an hour to reach the VEBE
Crossing this nerve center between vehicles entering and leaving the city requires, behind the wheel, a certain threshold of zenitude. Spectator of this daily ballet, at the Lagniez bakery-pastry shop on rue Stanislas, the co-manager Véronique prefers to smile: “Since the direction of traffic was reversed for rue des Carmes, the place is frequently congested, particularly during busy hours. office outings. The last time leaving the Don-Calmet car park to join the VEBE, it took me more than three quarters of an hour… for a portion of 4.7 km estimated at 13 minutes in smooth traffic.
“It’s war,” smiles Greg, about to finish his morning round with a final delivery to the Rue des Quatre-Eglises side. Dedicated to Nancy deliveries for France Express, he is waiting to see the beneficial effects of the return of traffic to the Foch bridge: “Clearly in terms of deliveries to Nancy, the station sector is the most complicated place. The openings of the Kennedy viaduct and the Foch bridge are a plus but it will in any case remain complicated for delivery people with places often occupied by motorists. So for me, in warning and double file, it's the fear of taking a risk. It would also be nice if there was a little more understanding from the municipal police,” added, like a Christmas list, this delivery man who grants three or four parking fines per year.
“Historically congested”
Whether it is treated circumstantially or historically, the problem is known to the City. Deputy mayor, Thomas Souverain, echoed this: “We are not going to lie, these Léopold and Stanislas axes are historically congested. That said, since this Friday we have found the two lanes on rue Poincaré and this will help relieve congestion in the east – west direction, therefore rue Stanislas. We are well aware of the inconveniences caused by the work, but we also see that the number of people in the city center has remained busy. It would be quite the opposite. There are therefore new habits and the P2M (metropolitan mobility plan) goes in this direction with a strong focus against transit traffic.”
In other words, structure must not take precedence over structuring. Argument made with the recent launch of the Allonzy carpooling platform by the Multipôle Nancy Sud Lorraine, or the operation of free parking for Saturdays from 2025.
Thomas Souverain continues: “There is a lot of talk about the arrival of the trolleybus for April but the total deployment of P2M is also intended to alleviate these city center nodes, particularly with the future line 5 which will form the north – south axis by taking the Leopold axis. It’s not a hunt for cars but we want to balance modes of travel.” Let's bet that these horn concerts are indeed the expression of a transition in progress.
