Roskilde – june 2012 Chartres and its transport management system by Isabelle MESNARD

I’m Isabelle Mesnard and my English isn’t very good yet. I have been having English lessons but I haven’t finished them. Nice Le Mans Dijon Bordeaux However, I’ll try to explain the transport management system, we have in CHARTRES (France).

Chartres is 86 kms from Paris and has approximately inhabitants. We have a beautiful and world famous Cathedral which brings in many tourists. So we have to be very careful with our traffic management, as it affects (one hundred an twenty thousand) people who live in Chartres and its suburbs.

I’ll begin today by talking to you about our 58 buses. They cover 13 routes.

58 buses We are currently undertaking a program of accessibility for the handicapped (blind, deaf, wheelchairs etc…). There are announcements and digital screens on all buses, and we are constantly upgrading bus lanes with raised pavements. All buses meet European standards for emissions. Buses are 80% financed by private companies, the other 20% coming from passengers. We also allow the under eighteens to travel free, giving back 200 euros a year to parents for each child.

In the historic and pedestrian only centre of Chartres, we have an electric shuttle bus. This is free to use. The service costs euros a year. We also have a shuttle bus which goes round the site of the old town walls. This is free too and is very popular. It prevents many people from using their cars. There is an “on demand” adapted 8 seater mini-bus which works in the town and its suburbs. Old people and the handicapped only have to phone and pay a nominal fee. The Council contributes to the cost of euros a year.

Finally, young people living in the countryside can phone for a mini bus to take them into Chartres during the school holidays. This is a free service for the under eighteens. In 2013, we are going to buy 20 new coaches for school transport. These will be environment friendly and adapted for disabled students.

Secondly the railway station Our current station is very old and hasn’t evolved with the town. Ten thousand passengers each day use it, but it is becoming increasingly difficult. So, Chartres has launched the “station project” which consists of a vast and ambitious redevelopment of the station centre (30 hectares) to make it more modern and to create a real multi-purpose transport hub for train, bus, bike and car users.

There will be new roads, new houses and offices as well as an underground car park for light vehicles and an exchange for buses and coaches. The project also includes the creation of a cultural and sporting centre for hosting shows and matches, which will use the place car park during the evening.

So, around the station, pedestrians are the most welcome group, benefitting from a new urban park as part of the project. Bikes, buses and taxis are also encouraged but cars, if used, are well-hidden !

Thirdly the bicycle Aiding the rise of the bicycle and making the town a place for everybody.

The changes Cycle routes Lower pavements Pedestrians and cyclists sharing lanes with extra-wide pavements 12 kms of green routes along the river side Provision of almost one thousand bikes-stands in strategic locations

30 kms an hour speed limits created in various « one way » streets, where only cyclists can ride in both directions.

« Meeting zones » with a 20 kms/hour speed limit, where cars, bikes and pedestrians can all travel together.

Projects completed Bike bus : volunteers collect bike- riding children and escort them en masse, to where they live, keeping many cars off the roads. 112 place bike-shed : provided in front of the station for commuters.

The Cyclo2 : 2 electric rickshaws take pedestrians around the historic centre of Chartres. They are free and can be seen during the school summer holidays. Thanks to the idea of a local teacher, school children now go to their swimming lesson by bike instead of on foot. The 25 minutes saved is spent in the pool.

Town police on bikes : 17 bikes have been bought for policemen to patrol. « Chartres à vélo » : an association created to promote the use of bikes in the town. With this van many different areas have been visited. The « 3Rs » : another association to renovate, restore and recycle old, unwanted bikes.

« Town-bike lending » : 50 bikes were bought to lend for up to a year, to encourage people to start cycling again.

Communication Swing tickets with advice can be put on the handlebars. Posters for display in the town : “Dare to cycle, the means of transport which makes you smile” “For the price of 4 full tanks, you can buy a bike”

Greetings cards. A biking article per month in « Your Town » magazine and a website.

In conclusion Chartres Metropolitan area, like a good number of French towns experiences growing difficulties with traffic. The increase in car numbers causes jams, pollution and noise for local residents. These problems can act as a brake on economic dynamism because they block access to shops and services. An Urban Travel Plan is an appropriate response since it allows the reduction of car usage in particular, benefitting less polluting means of transport and more space-saving vehicles.

The plan is part of a perspective of durable development for the long term. Real alternatives to the car are possible in fact, with towns moving more quickly towards collective transport and more easily to bikes or walking.  We will develop other ways of travelling by train, bus, bike, foot.  We will reduce car traffic and all its negatives like pollution and noise.  We will preserve for the future our environment and heritage.

Thanks for listening. It only remains for me to invite you all to see us and watch the « Tour de France » in Chartres on Saturday, July 21 (twenty first) later this summer.