The pedestrian area set up in the center of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) since May 12 will be maintained beyond June 22 each week from Friday to Sunday.
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Since May 12, the Saint-Germanois have learned to live and move differently in the town with the introduction of the health area implemented by the City.
The latter, which transformed the hyper center into a vast area dedicated to pedestrians and to gentle circulation from Tuesday to Saturday, will be maintained beyond June 22, the date on which it should initially have been lifted.
Read also: Yvelines. Pedestrian sector: a health area set up in the city center of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The municipality of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) decided that this pedestrian area would be reactivated every week, from Friday to Sunday.
“The primary objective was to restore confidence”
The objective of this pedestrianization was really, at first, to restore confidence to consumers, says Arnaud Péricard, the mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. They had to come back to the City and for that they had to have a better shared, wider public space. Supporting this reopening movement has worked rather well. “
The choice to maintain this system would have been taken, among other things, after having recorded a positive return on the part of merchants and customers. The City has hired the services of a specialized firm to carry out this file.
“We have a satisfaction rate of 17 to 18/20”
Having surveyed almost all the traders concerned, we have a satisfaction rate of 17 to 18/20 on average compared to pedestrianization. “
The mayor also recalls that the subject of the pedestrianization was part of his campaign commitments. The Covid-19 crisis would, in fact, only speed up the process.
I had made a campaign commitment which was to say that pedestrianization in all ways, we were going to come there. Only the time and geographic format was not yet known. This crisis allowed us to accelerate our testing of what the system could be. “
The system, kept for 3 days, is similar to that implemented since May 12, namely that it extends from Place André-Malraux to those of Marché-Neuf and Mareil and that can only circulate there. emergency vehicles, those of local residents, buses and delivery people.
Except Sunday for the streets of Pain and Bonnenfant
It should be noted that the perimeter will only change on Sunday with the reopening to normal traffic of the streets at Pain and Bonnenfant.
Regarding the voices that were raised against the implementation of this pedestrianization evoking an aggravation of traffic jams and a decrease in the number of parking spaces, the mayor seems calm.
We had a difficulty which is rue Grande Fontaine but which is due to the delivery of trucks at the rear of the Monoprix but, on the whole, we did not have any traffic problems. Even when parked, the streets that we have neutralized represent very few spaces. “
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