Until last week, Arvant was crossed every day by an uninterrupted stream of vehicles. Since the opening of the new portion of the RN 102, local residents have enjoyed the return to calm and safety.
Arriving in Arvant this early afternoon, it feels like going back a few years, during the confinement period. The approaches to the RN 102 which crosses the village are deserted. Not a sound, or rather, no more noise. The incessant din of the approximately 14,000 daily vehicles using this route has ceased. Under the sun, clicking sounds are suddenly heard. A handful of meters from the road, bowlers from the local club play one game after another.
Highly anticipated, this Haute-Loire expressway is finally open to traffic
The opening of the new portion of the RN 102 and the peace thus rediscovered are on everyone's lips: “The noise of the trucks had become infernal, especially when they pass on the level crossing. To cross too, it's was super dangerous”, concedes Patrick Rodier, president of the Arvant pétanque club who has lived near the national road for 40 years.
Such a long wait
“At the beginning it was mainly on Fridays, then Thursdays and after, all the time. Now, there are still a few trucks but it's not like before. We've been waiting for it for so long…”, smiles the leader of the bowlers. This deviation is the culmination of a project whose beginnings date back to a period that those under 20 have not known. “Since I’ve lived here, I’ve heard about it, eh Daniel?”, sighs Patrick Rodier, addressing his petanque buddy: “Oula, it’s been longer than that for me… We’ve been talking about it since the sixties… It's been dragging on for too long. They've put in the money to make it happen.” And these residents are not worried about the town's businesses.
In any case, there are no more shops! And that's not because of the deviation. There remains a hairdresser and a pharmacy. It's a local clientele, it won't change much for them.
The pharmacy, in fact, is located on the edge of the RN 102, opposite the fire station. Inside, Dominique and Nadine, the two pharmacists, residing respectively in Saint-Géron and Brioude, make the same observation as the bowlers: “It's much calmer and above all much more secure. Before, it was going too fast. ” Concerning their business, here too, the two professionals want to be reassuring: “We haven't felt any difference. Our customers are residents of Arvant. People passing through don't stop at our place.”
Less noise and more safety
It is rather as users that they appreciate the new section of road which has just opened: “It takes ten minutes to go Brioude – Lempdes. The crossing of Arvant was 1.5 km at 50 km/h. Before, I went around the housing estates behind so as not to have to cut the 102”, smiles Nadine. Only positive things after such a long wait: “It was a bit like the Arlesian, we no longer believed in it. We've been hearing about it for 50 years. In the end it went rather well, the deadlines were been held, it's perfect”, concludes Dominique.
The traffic has changed a lot in a few days in Arvant, village of Bournoncle-Saint-Pierre.
A few meters away, Mathieu, in his thirties, parks his car in front of his house, along the 102, opposite the Post Office. He has lived there for six years: “It's just a joy. The noise was unbearable. We avoided opening the windows.” He also points out the safety found on this axis: “I have two sons… They almost got knocked down several times. It was driving fast and people did not respect pedestrian crossings. Before Covid, the gendarmes often carried out checks at the level crossing but since then, nothing… I've seen a lot of accidents here. The noise, you get used to it but for safety, something had to be done.”
The deviation seen by Aurore Roche
Aurore Roche has lived in Arvant for almost 30 years. Now retired, she ran a multi-service business along the RN 102, the last in the village. This calm found along the road, she thinks it will be ephemeral: “There is a drop in traffic but it will not last. With the new lane, people will travel 7 km instead of 2. When you see the price gasoline… People will stop by at first out of curiosity but it will calm down.” On the subject of noise pollution, she also displays her skepticism: “With double glazing, you can't hear anything. It's certain that if you open your windows wide, it will make noise. I've never had any pots that vibrated in the kitchen when a truck passed!”
What does she think of the new 102 she borrowed yesterday? “No particular sensation. We no longer have the leisure to observe the landscape. It is limited to 110 km/h when we could drive a little faster. What is surprising is that the signs indicating Arvant have disappeared when we come from Brioude. Everything is done so that we take the new road.
The deviation seen by Raoudha Mayassi
“I still have my flow of customers even if I have the impression that it is calmer, indicates Raoudha Mayassi, manager of the Total station. What is different is that we are an essential business , a bit like a tobacconist. People will always need fuel.” Regarding the future of her establishment, does she have any fears? “Yes and no. I haven’t really looked into the accounting yet, but not hearing the cars go by so much is weird!”
She wants to put the impact of the drop in road traffic into perspective: “Of the 15 to 18,000 vehicles per day, we barely captured 10%”, specifying that she has “a certain clientele which is acquired” and that a request was made to Dreal for the station to be indicated.
Jeremy Virot
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