Since the closure of the Jardin des Plantes de Montauban car park on October 23, 2023, and until its reopening at the end of February 2024 as part of the installation, holding and storage of the Lantern Festival, tarn-et motorists -garonnais have great difficulty finding free parking. On the banks of the Tarn, the parking lot is saturated.
Thursday November 9, 2023, around 8:30 a.m., in the Berges du Tarn de Montauban car parks, in Tarn-et-Garonne. The sun from the day before has given way to large gray clouds which fill the sky over the city of Ingres. The rain has been falling since the middle of the night and is having difficulty draining off the side of rue Alphonse-Jourdain, which passes below the Vieux bridge. Going down the stairs that run alongside the Ingres Bourdelle museum building, we can already see several vehicles turning in the parking area.
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Montauban: where to find a free parking space?
Five motorists are engaged in a race against time… and against their adversaries. The layman might laugh at the situation and point out that the parking lot to the left of the stairs is almost empty. Yes, but the latter is paid. The one across the road is free. A commodity that has become rare in Montauban since the closure of the Jardin des Plantes car park.
First come, first served
In this situation, there are several tactics. Those who rush into the parking lot because they have already noticed that a space has become available and hope that it will not be taken over. Those who drive at a walking pace, taking the time to scan, with their chin almost resting on the steering wheel, any vehicle ready to vacate its position. And then those have already exhausted the second hypothesis, completely stopped, if possible a little to the side, waiting for a passerby to take a seat in their cabin.
The departing driver then has the impression of being scrutinized like a piece of meat at the start of a gathering of carnivores. There’s not even time to settle down when three cars are already waiting, lights on, to take their place. And in these cases, first come is first served.
“We’re going to find it eventually!”
Fabienne is relieved when she gets out of her car. “I’ve been trying to find a place for ten minutes. I’m late for my 8:30 a.m. appointment,” explains the lucky motorist, before unfurling her umbrella and going up the steps two by two, at the no racing.
The other four unlucky people instead grimace. Among them, Guy. “She was the last to arrive,” laments the retiree, the window slightly lowered to avoid getting wet. But hey, we’ll find it eventually! he says, philosophically. The Moissagais came to look after a sick grandchild who lives in the city center. He still has half an hour to get there.
Where to find that rare gem in the city center?
In addition to the Berges du Tarn car park, some free parking solutions exist not far from the city center. On the boulevards, there are obviously the central lanes of Boulevard Blaise-Doumerc. Still on the main arteries, Avenue Gambetta is free from the Libération roundabout to the police station roundabout. On the right, Rue Émile-Pouvillon is also a possibility.
Already stated in these lines, parking under the departmental council, even if it is particularly stormed by students from the university center. A little further down, rue de l’Abbaye has a series of free spaces on either side of the road, just after the small roundabout which intersects with Grand’Rue Sapiac.
Finally, for those who can walk a little further, you can experience a stroke of luck on Boulevard Herriot, despite the proximity to the Bourdelle high school and the Ingreo aquatic center. The municipality announces that a consultation meeting will take place during the week of November 13, 2023 with residents of the Jardin des Plantes.
Cécile keeps her spirits up. It must be said that the young woman from Toulouse only comes to Montauban once a week. “In the Pink City, everything is paid for, so that’s settled… It’s still nice to be able to benefit from free parking here. And then it’s for a good cause, since it’s for a cultural event. We don’t can’t always complain about the inconvenience of festivals that bring people into the city.” The only solution, in any case, is to be patient. Only 110 days left before returning to the Jardin des Plantes parking lot…
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