The Manche department on yellow snow/ice alert until this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. But heavy goods vehicles can once again travel on all roads in the department. The prefectural ban order for those over 7.5 tonnes was lifted early Friday afternoon, given the improvement in weather conditions. The authorities were waiting for the weather conditions to be “viable and sustainable” across the entire department, explains the chief of staff of the prefect of Manche, Stéphanie Petitjean, contacted by France Bleu Cotentin.
France Bleu Cotentin: You lifted the traffic ban for heavy goods vehicles this Friday at the start of the afternoon on the national (A84, RN13, RN174) and departmental network. Some truckers found the time long. What do you answer them?
Stéphanie Petitjean, chief of staff of the prefect of Manche: Perhaps for some people they felt it was taking too long. However, when we make the decision to lift the order, it is with the objective of not resuming it. We must be sure that traffic conditions are viable throughout the department, and viable in the long term. It would be even more penalizing for truck drivers to lift the ban only to resume it two hours later, because we realize that the traffic conditions are too difficult. So we made the choice to let the bad weather that happened this Friday morning pass, since it snowed again. We had sleet in certain areas of the department. And to ensure the viability of the entire road network, departmental and national to reauthorize traffic. So yes, there were axes which were viable, undoubtedly earlier than others, geographical sectors also which were a little more preserved. But as it is a global measure, we expected to guarantee safe traffic conditions for all road users.
Because the prefectural decree was departmental, we could not do it on a case by case basis, depending on the axes?
So we can always consider doing it on a case by case basis, but we must understand that it would be difficult to say: “you have the right to go to such and such a place, but be careful, from such and such a route, you cannot continue “. We also have parking conditions, heavy goods vehicles stopping. And that was the story of a few hours. So it was preferable to delay a little so that we could then make traffic in the department completely free.
However, we saw trucks driving on departmental roads. Were there any exceptions?
We always have a certain number of exemptions on our traffic ban orders, starting with rescue or emergency vehicles, intervention vehicles from companies like Enedis, Orange or all the other mobile telephone operators. Because we understand that they are essential operators for the continuity of life in the region. And then we have activities that cannot wait. I am thinking in particular of the milk collection which was subject to an exemption to avoid the risk of loss for farmers. Here are some examples. So there are some which have exemptions, but which we try to moderate, since the objective is still that heavy goods vehicles do not travel given the dangers and risks they take at the same time. both for themselves and for other road users.
Because there have been accidents involving heavy goods vehicles in the Channel. Does that mean that some people didn't follow the rules?
The vast majority of heavy goods vehicle drivers complied with the ban orders. On the other hand, we unfortunately, but as in all circumstances, have drivers who undoubtedly assumed the strength of their convoy, who engaged on routes that were closed to traffic, this was the case Thursday afternoon on the A84 motorway, with heavy goods vehicles which found themselves in difficulty on the hills, which initially caused “slalom” obligations for certain motorists, between heavy goods vehicles which were in difficulty on the right lane and others on the way left, and then very strong slowdowns. And these difficulties then had to be resolved so that the heavy goods vehicles could gradually be released. We never take banning orders lightly because we are well aware of the economic stakes for heavy goods vehicle drivers. But we have axes in the department which are particularly delicate since they are a little slippery.
Will these drivers be penalized?
They can be sanctioned. It is a case-by-case assessment, and follow-up by the gendarmerie, then by the prosecutor's office.
Among these heavyweights, we have some who come from abroad. For example, Irish trucks arriving in Cherbourg. Drivers are not necessarily informed of the weather conditions in Normandy…
On the side of the prefecture, we had discussions with the captaincy so that precisely these heavy goods vehicle drivers who arrived in Cherbourg – and we had some on Thursday afternoon – were asked to stay in Cherbourg and not to commit on the roads of the department. Which they did and they waited until the conditions were favorable to them. I guaranteed that there would be communication with them.
Beyond foreigners, some drivers say that they were not informed enough, that it was complicated to find traffic information. Was there sufficient communication?
We made several press releases and announcements on social networks. Afterwards, I can understand that it is never enough. So we note that more needs to be done if other events of this type occur again. But I can only invite road users when there is bad weather to follow the prefecture and the prefecture's website on social networks. We are vigilant in providing regular updates with all the news in real time. We constantly update, especially when we are in difficult situations.
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