The illuminated pylon at the Bastille in Grenoble now blends into the city’s landscape. This initiative led by the city of Grenoble, the Metropolis and ATMO Auvergne Rhône-Alpes to improve the quality of the air breathed the next day has had its small effect. We make a first assessment.
“A lot of questions from the population”
This illumination of a pylon apparently had an impact on the inhabitants of the Grenoble metropolis: “We really felt an awareness among the population. Not in the first weeks but when the pylon turned red in the months that followed. This is what caught the attention of the population. People were wondering. Why is the pylon red? What does this ATMO index mean? This is a concept that was not necessarily known. They now know that the information is available and there, we really felt a enthusiasm for consulting our website or the Air to go application. We had a lot of questions regarding the actions to be put in place to be able to act on this issue of air quality.” explains Gladys Mary, territorial correspondent for ATMO, Federation of Approved Air Quality Monitoring Associations.
Beyond the illumination of the pylon, recommendations are present at certain tram and bus stops. It is particularly recommended not to practice intense sporting activity when the pylon is red.
“We breathe better air than 20 years ago”
Regarding the results of this past year with the illumination of the pylon: “The trend is that we spend approximately 60% of the time with an “average” air quality rating, 20% in degraded and 10 to 12% in poor (red). It’s not that bad in Grenoble, contrary to what we might have thought about twenty years ago, but we still have concentrations of pollutants that pose a threat to our health. Grenoble has suffered greatly from this image of a very polluted city, but we are no longer the most polluted city in France. We breathe better air than 20 years ago but we must continue our efforts.”
As for the Grenoble metropolis, we welcome this tool which will remain in the Grenoble landscape: “It’s a real beacon in the night. Metropolitan residents have gotten used to seeing it. I’m proud that we’re improving air quality in public spaces. I want to believe that it has contributed to awareness. The problem with air is that we cannot see it, whether it is good or not good, so we will move forward better and better by making air quality visible.“, explains Cécile Cenatiempo metropolitan advisor in charge of air quality.
2024-02-13 18:27:39
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