Reduction of speed to 30 km / h, elimination of traffic lights, making certain streets one-way to leave more space for cyclists and pedestrians… The municipality of Chartres has started a small revolution by setting up, since the January 1, 2021, several measures as part of its “peaceful city” program.
Update on the actions implemented within the framework of the “peaceful city” program in Chartres
The traffic lights at eight crossroads have been removed since the start of the year. The pedestrian zone will extend, in October, in the streets Chantault and Muret. And since July, rue des Grandes-Filles-Dieu has been a one-way street from Champhol to Chartres. So many changes that sometimes raise questions from those who circulate in the city center.
Does removing traffic lights really make traffic flow more smoothly?
Guillaume Bonnet, deputy mayor in charge of commerce and improving the living environment, noted that traffic had indeed become more fluid at certain intersections such as that of Félibien, Couronne and Boulevard Charles-Péguy streets.
The rue des Grandes-Filles-Dieu in Chartres is now a one-way street
On the other hand, in the vicinity of schools, traffic jams at the time of entry and exit of the pupils but “it is the life of a city, argues the elected official, and it lasts only ten minutes. I advise motorists to postpone their journey a few minutes before or after. “
I cycle. Am I priority over cars?
No, cyclists are subject to the highway code like all other drivers. They must therefore respect the give-the-way and the stops installed on the cycle lanes.
Why did you install a give way on rue Saint-Brice when there is already a stop on rue de Reverdy?
“To slow down the speed, assumes Guillaume Bonnet. When the traffic light was removed, we initially did not put any signs on rue Saint-Brice. But residents complained that motorists were traveling too fast. The give-the-way forces them to brake on the outskirts of the crossroads. “
Same configuration at the crossroads of rue des Rouliers and rue Saint-Chéron at the corner of which a stop sign has been placed on both traffic lanes.
At the intersection of Chanzy and Reverdy streets, stops have been put in place at the corner of the two traffic lanes. Who goes first?
Olivier Goulay, driving school director in Chartres, reminds that the priority on the right only applies in the absence of signs. “If there are two stops, in theory it’s the first come who starts again, but the objective is to share the road. It’s common sense: you can invite the other to pass before restarting yourself. “
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I use an electric scooter. Where should I drive?
If the scooter has a motor, like the electric bicycle, it is subject to the same rules as motor vehicles and therefore must be circulated on the roads. In the city center, it must use the cycle lanes and can therefore, like the bicycle, circulate in the opposite direction in certain streets. If there is no bike lane, electric scooters like bicycles should use the same lanes as cars and not sidewalks.
Can bicycles and scooters ride on sidewalks?
This is only allowed when the sidewalks are wide enough, as on Chasles Boulevard, and they can allow pedestrians, scooters and cyclists to rub shoulders without hindering each other.
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“Wherever we can, we create wide sidewalks with a space reserved for bicycles and scooters, and separate from the space reserved for pedestrians”, specifies Guillaume Bonnet. This is particularly the case in front of the new Jean-Moulin college. If the sidewalk is narrow, it is reserved exclusively for pedestrians.
Laurence Franceschina
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