This is the first time that all of the Calanques will be affected by such a measure. The city of Marseille will experience a “peaceful southern coastline” day on Sunday October 6. Concretely, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., cars will not be able to access the city’s busy Calanques. From the first Calanque, that of Saména, motorists will have to turn back. The rest of the Marseille coast can be done on foot by bike or by bus.
Aiming at “offer an alternative to the recurring problems of traffic and uncontrolled parking”this initiative also “aimed at testing alternative transport solutions, encouraging soft mobility and inviting the public to (re)discover the riches of the southern coast», Details the left-wing town hall, in a press release.
To compensate for the absence of cars, the city is planning increased bus capacity, 500 self-service bicycles, a free tourist shuttle, bicycle rickshaws and Tuk-Tuks. “Parking areas will be specially designed for local residents, traders and their customers, in order to streamline traffic”adds the municipality. Residents of the 6th and 8th arrondissements of Marseille, bordering the Calanques national park, will however be exempt from this ban.
Sunday will be an opportunity for activities offered to visitors, “such as commented walks, games or even landscape readings», added the Marseille town hall. Listening to podcasts and experimenting with virtual reality headsets will also be included.
With 3 million visitors per year, the Calanques national park, which extends to the south of Marseille, is confronted, like several other natural sites in France and around the world, with numerous problems linked to overtourism, disrupting the biodiversity supposed to be preserved there.
Various measures have already been taken to deal with this. An experiment launched in April prohibits car traffic on Sundays on the famous “Route des Crêtes” between Cassis and La Ciotat. It was recently extended for another year. Since 2022, access to the Sugiton cove, threatened by erosion, has been limited to 400 people per day in summer, via an online reservation system. Previously, 2,500 people used to crowd into the narrow rocky space.
The park is also considering limiting attendance on the Frioul islands, opposite Marseille, whose popularity has been further increased by the film. Le Comte de Monte Cristo since its release in June at the cinema.
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