“Excessive measure”, financial loss, “disastrous” situation: in Pas de la Casa, the preventive closure of French roads annoys

This Sunday, the parking lots in Pas de la Casa are full and in the streets, ski boots meet luxury bags and tobacco cartons. The life of “Pas”, a winter Sunday. But in the lost kingdom of consumption, at more than 2,080 meters above sea level, traders know what part of their economy comes from: a mountain road, the RN20, then the RN22, along which thousands of French people flock daily. .

Last December, twice, the axis was cut off to traffic by the French authorities, in anticipation of poor weather conditions, snow episodes and the risk of avalanches. A decision with serious consequences for the Andorrans, who are still struggling to understand such precautions. “I have been here for a little over 40 years and this is the first time that we have seen the road closed preventively,” assures Jean, at the head of a hotel and three restaurants, two in the village and one in altitude. “Before, the road closed because the snow fell and it became impassable. It can happen. In 2009, there was a lot of snow, 12 or 13 meters accumulated during the season which was extraordinary. The road closed for six days. There wasn't even one there. […] This closure surprised everyone, the oldest had never seen that.”

For the 53-year-old man, sitting at one of the tables in his restaurant just before lunch service, the French authorities would therefore have been overzealous. “Twelve or thirteen kilometers of road from L'Hospitalet [jusqu’au Pas de la Case]I think it's manageable. […] It was certainly very windy, but for me, it was an excessive measure.”

Same incomprehension for Georgina, at the head of a restaurant a few steps away. Between two coffees served at the bar, she expresses her annoyance. “In 22 years, I had never seen the road closed before a supposed storm. It was like this [nuageux ce dimanche]with a little wind and snow but not enough to close so early.”

If the road were to be cut again, “we will have to talk”

A precautionary measure which deprived, for a time, the merchants of “Pas” of its French customers. “Suddenly, all your customers leave. Economically, we felt it. We are in a country that lives on tourism. If customers can no longer come up, it's over.” A “disastrous” situation for Pas de la Casa, even estimated Òscar Ramon, president of the traders’ association, to the Andorran media Altaveu. If the road were to be cut again, “we will have to talk to someone,” announced the pharmacist.

Economic consequences that the French authorities would not take into account, judge Jean, who estimates his losses at “more than 30,000 euros” for the month of December. According to him, the Ariège prefecture would not do everything possible to leave the axis open. “Knowing the Alps, I think that the prefects of Savoie or Haute-Savoie would not have let this pass. They are used to the mountains and they take all measures so that users can climb. They know that economically , it’s imperative and if they didn’t do it, there would be an outcry from traders and hoteliers.”

The closing dates, from December 7 to 9 (orange vigilance from Météo-France for a snowy episode), then from December 22 to 24 (yellow vigilance from Météo-France for violent wind and snow), did not, in addition, nothing fixed. “It fell on the bridge of December 8 (feast of the Immaculate Conception in Spain), a public holiday. The Spaniards who come from Cerdanya were not able to go up. Some [Français] went around via the Puymorens tunnel and Spain. On the other side, access was open. But it was a lot of miles.”

“We were waiting”

Beyond the economic aspect, locals also regret the lack of communication. “We were notified at 12 p.m. for 3 p.m. People were almost panicked,” remembers Georgina. “We had no feedback from the Andorran government or statement from the minister,” points out Jean. “There were a lot of French people who had to leave and who had no news, Andorrans who study in Toulouse who could not leave either. We lacked information, we were waiting. This closure has took everyone by surprise.”

“It is the safety of motorists that guides the prefect’s decision”

“It is the safety of motorists which guides the decision of the prefect and his action”, justifies for its part the cabinet of the prefecture of Ariège. “Regarding the two closures which took place in December, the decision to close was taken because we had very poor weather conditions which jeopardized the safety of motorists. We sometimes had visibility of one meter. ” Very low visibility which made snow removal from the road impossible. “It was extremely dangerous. This road is, in addition, known to be accident-prone. With the degraded conditions, the closure was necessary,” explains the prefecture, which specifies that the decision was taken in consultation with the Andorran authorities.

Andorran authorities participate in crisis units

“It is the prefect of Ariège who is responsible for the safety of these roads and who makes the decisions. But of course, the Andorran authorities are involved in all the crisis units where the measures to be taken are decided.” The Ariège prefecture finally indicates that this axis is “very priority and closely monitored” by the authorities.