HERITAGE – Didier Lallement declared that he would not co-sign any regulatory measure formalizing a modification of the traffic and parking police linked to the “OnE” project. A “political turnaround” for Anne Hidalgo’s deputy.
The prefect of police Didier Lallement informed the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo of his “opposition” to the disputed redevelopment project between the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower which, according to him, would cause major traffic problems, we learned on Friday May 13. “I inform you of my opposition to this plan to restrict traffic in the Eiffel Tower sector, as adopted by the Council of Paris”, writes the prefect in a letter dated Tuesday 10 but, revealed by The Parisian. “Therefore, I will not co-sign any regulatory measure formalizing a modification of the traffic and parking policy related to this project”, he adds.
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The project “We»chosen in 2019, for which the town hall is now counting on a budget of 107 million euros, was adopted in early February 2022 by the left-wing majority in power in Paris. In particular, it aims to reduce the space occupied by cars on either side of the Pont d’Iéna, which will become “the first green bridge in Paris”, as well as the creation of a “vegetated amphitheater” Place du Trocadéro, where traffic will be reorganized in a half-moon, and a planted promenade on the Quai Branly.
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“The closure to general traffic of the Pont d’Iéna will generate significant traffic reports on the Alma, Grenelle and Bir-Hakeim bridges and, to a lesser extent, on the Alexandre III and Concorde bridges”, affirms the prefect, based on the results of a study commissioned by the town hall in February 2020. On the Place du Trocadéro, the new development will also lead to “deductions” on the roads that serve it and could hinder the intervention of the emergency services “in the event of a claim at the Palais de Chaillot”, he said.
Contacted by AFP, the deputy mayor (PS) for urban planning Emmanuel Grégoire said to himself “very surprised by this turnaround”, that he considers “political”, “knowing that the police headquarters has given favorable opinions at all stages of the project”. Anne Hidalgo “hears to speak directly about this subject with the future government” in order to “to settle politically” rather than legally the file, adds the first assistant.
Read alsoParis: the town hall undertakes not to cut down trees at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
At the end of April, the felling planned at the foot of the Eiffel Tower of around twenty trees, some of which are very old, as part of the “We” to allow the construction of luggage storage and premises for employees, sparked such controversy that the Paris City Hall ended up giving it up. In the fall, an electronic public consultation collected 6,000 contributions, the vast majority of which expressed opposition to the project.
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